When a heart breaks
by MissEliza
Summary: When Gabby leaves her husband to go back to Puerto Rico her heart breaks into a million pieces. Is there a chance they can find their way back to each other or are they finally broken?
1. Chapter 1

**Here's the first chapter of a new Dawsey story. I had it in mind for some time but the season premiere encouraged me to finally write it down. I hope you'll enjoy it.**

 **Enjoy reading,**

 **Miss Eliza**

* * *

It was an exhausting shift and all Matt wanted was to drink a cold beer in front of the TV before he would go to bed. Only to wake up the next morning and miss her. That was all he was doing lately. Missing his wife. Gabby. She was his everything. When she left, his heart broke into a million pieces. He almost couldn't stand the pain and maybe Severide was a little bit right when he said that he acted like he had a death wish. But there was nothing he could or wanted to do. He had called her earlier this day and she seemed to be happy helping all these people in need. She was beaming and he had realized that it was a bad idea to go to San Juan to get her back. Matt sighed and opened the door to his apartment and walked inside. Suddenly he heard a noise and steps and he couldn't believe his eyes. His beautiful wife was standing right in front of him. He couldn't help but smile.

"Gabby? You're back?"

"I am." Gabby smiled at her husband and followed his eyes to her bags. She could see his smile fade away when he saw her paramedic jacket on top of the bags.

"Those look more like leaving bags than staying bags." He really didn't want to get his thought confirmed but Gabby nodded.

"Yeah… They've asked me to extend again." She could see the hurt in his face and it broke her heart once again.

"How long?" He almost didn't have the strength to ask.

Gabby looked at her toes. "It's a permanent position."

Matt felt like he got hit in the stomach. He couldn't say anything, just nodded, when Gabby continued to speak.

"I can't describe to you the amount of aid they need down there. It's like the bells went off every single minute. And they've asked me to lead a unit, directing two dozen men and women, doctors, nurses, engineers, lawyers, people who are giving up everything just to help."

Matt didn't say anything. He just looked at her and she could see the pain in his eyes. She didn't want to cause him that.

"You could come with me…we could go together." Hopefully she looked at her husband, who took a minute before he shook his head.

"I'm a Chicago guy" His voice almost broke. "You know that"

"Yeah, I know." Gabby saw the tears in his eyes and she couldn't fight her emotion anymore.

"I'm so sorry, Matt… I had no idea it would turn into this, when I left. I just thought…"

"You were meant to do this." Matt interrupted her. "All your training, your years as a paramedic, your time as a firefighter, it led you to this. I'm just lucky I got to walk alongside you as long as I did."

Tears were rolling down their cheeks and Gabby moved over to him, standing right in front of him.

"Thank you"

"I'm proud of you" Matt looked at his wife and she could tell it was the truth.

"I've never known anyone as good as you, Matt Casey. And I never will." She made one last step forward and he took her in his arms. They were clinging on each other for dear life. Gabby buried her head in his chest and Matt caressed her shoulders, her back. Suddenly Gabby pulled back a little bit and looked up to him. Oh how much she loved this man. Leaving for Puerto Rico felt right and yet so wrong. She didn't think when she leaned forward, pulling him into a passionate kiss and Matt didn't do anything to stop her. Their lips moved in perfect sync, their hands were all over their bodies. They didn't say a word. Both of them knew that this wasn't a good idea, that it would only led to more heartbreak. But none of them had the strength to stop it. All they both wanted was one last kiss, one last touch. Matt didn't stop Gabby when she started to pull his shirt over his head and she didn't stop him when he unzipped her pants. They just didn't stop. Gabby took a few steps backward in direction of the bedroom and Matt followed her, guiding her through the door into the room and to the bed. They continued to undress each other until there were no clothes left. Their hands were discovering their bodies as if it was the first time. Only that they knew exactly how to turn each other on. The setting sun bathed the room in a golden light when their bodies became one. They made love passionately and the whole time none of them dared to speak. Afraid of ruining this beautiful moment. Afterwards they fell asleep in each other's arms like they had done a million times before and it felt like the most natural thing in the world.

* * *

When Gabby woke up she looked at the clock on her nightstand. It was almost 6 am. Gently she pushed Matt's arm away so she could get up. He was still sound asleep. She looked at him and a single tear was rolling down her cheek. As quiet as possible she collected her clothes and went into the living room to get dressed. She really didn't want him to wake up. After getting dressed she took her phone out of her purse and called for a taxi. Gabby sighed. It was the hardest thing she had ever done but she knew she had to leave. She grabbed her bags and placed them next to the back door in the kitchen. Before she left she took a piece of paper from the desk in the living room and wrote a note. When she saw the taxi arriving she carried her bags outside and closed the door, taking the apartment in one last time. She turned around and walked towards the taxi. The driver got out and helped her putting her bags in the trunk. He wondered why this beautiful woman was so unbelievable sad. She looked like she had to carry the weight of the world on her shoulders. He noticed a wedding band.

"Where do you want to go, ma'am?"

"O Hare, please" Gabby got into the car.

"Everything alright?" The driver tried to make small talk.

"Yeah…yeah…it's alright." Gabby looked outside the window to avoid any conversation. All she wanted to do was to tell the driver to turn around but she couldn't. She knew it would only let them into the same dead end again and she never wanted to go there again. They had said very bad things. Hurtful things. They had talked it all out before she left for Puerto Rico the first time but she could tell it wasn't okay. There were serious cracks in their relationship and she knew that love wouldn't be enough to fix them. Sure they loved each other but that didn't seem to be enough. Leaving to do something meaningful was the right thing to do. It had to be. She told herself. Otherwise Matt would have woken up to held her back, right? But he didn't. He probably was still asleep.

The taxi arrived at the airport and Gabby got out. The driver helped her to load her bags onto a trolley and she made her way into the terminal. She never looked back. She checked in, went through the security checks and boarded the plane without looking back once. But when she sat in the plane, looking outside the window, seeing the city becoming smaller and smaller underneath her, she broke down.

* * *

When Matt woke up he immediately realized that something was wrong. He looked to his right and saw an empty spot. Pushing back the sheets he got up and grabbed his boxers from the floor before entering the living room. There were no more bags. The apartment was empty. She was gone. The realization hit him like a knife right into his heart. At first he wanted to get his phone and call her but as he walked into the kitchen he saw her note.

 _My dearest Matt,_

 _I'm so sorry for leaving you like this. But I had to go. I love you more than life itself and I always will. Last night was everything and more. I'm so sorry I didn't say goodbye to you in person but the truth is, I would have never had the strength to go, if I had woken you up._

 _Goodbye my love, my everything,_

 _Gabby_

Matt couldn't believe that she had left him like this. Sneaking out of the apartment like a thief. But deep inside he knew that she was right. She had to do this. But why did it hurt like hell? Why did it feel like his heart was ripped out of his chest? Tears were falling down his face as he walked back into the living room. Matt sat down on the couch, the note in his hands. Reading it over and over again, trying to make sense out of it. But he couldn't. He had managed the last few months, clinging to the hope that she would be back. But this time she had left for good. She wouldn't come back. Never. That was when he finally broke down. He cried for almost an hour, until no tears were left inside him. Then he got up and took a long hot shower, trying to clear his head. But he still felt like he was hit by a train. He got dressed into jeans and a shirt. The note was still on the coffee table. He grabbed his keys and the note and put it into his wallet. Matt closed the door of his apartment behind him and got into his car. After a short drive he got out and knocked onto a very familiar door.

* * *

After the plane had landed in San Juan, Gabby got her bags from the conveyor belt and walked through the passport checkpoint. On the other side Chief Hatcher was waiting for her.

"Gabby Dawson. Nice to see you again." He shook her hand. "I'm glad you took this chance and I'm sure you'll be the best leader we can ask for."

"Thank you." Gabby faked a smile. "I'm really looking forward to this challenge. There's so much we can do here. It really feels good to help."

"Come on. I'll show you your new workplace and take you to your new apartment afterwards." Chief Hatcher took the trolley with her bags and they left.

"New apartment?" Gabby was curious. She used to sleep with the other first responders in an old gym.

"Yes. Since you're a white shirt now, you get your own apartment. It's very small though. Only one bedroom. But at least some privacy."

"Sounds great." Gabby started to feel a little bit better. The thought of doing some very important work cheered her up.

"Excuse me, Dawson." Chief Hatcher looked at her while he put her bags into the CFD van. "But you look like hell. Did you have a terrible flight?"

Gabby shook her head. "No, the flight was nice."

"So it's something personal?"

She just nodded.

"Okay, I don't need to know the details but let me tell you one thing: You need to have your head in the game here. Hundred percent. If that's not the case you need to go back to Chicago and work your problems out. Do you hear me?"

"Yes, Chief. My head is in the game. I already worked everything out." That was a lie but she didn't want to deal with it now.

"Glad to hear that."

They got into the van and Chief Hatcher started the engine.

* * *

Back in Chicago a very tired Kelly Severide heard a knock on his front door. "What the hell…" He cursed, put on a shirt and walked into the living room to open the door. When he did so he saw his best friend. Looking like a thrashed puppy. He moved aside. "Come in."

Matt walked inside and sat down on the couch. Kelly took a seat on the armchair in front of him. "What the hell happened to you, Casey? You look like shit, pardon my French. And the fact that you're showing up at my apartment at" He looked at the clock on the wall. "8 am on a Saturday tells me that something must have happened."

"Gabby was back when I came home last night." Matt rubbed his face.

"And by the look on your face I assume that she didn't came back to stay."

"No, they gave her a permanent position. She packed her bags and left for good."

"Wow." Kelly hadn't expected that. "Did you ask her to stay?"

"No" Matt shook his head. "She had already made up her mind. That wouldn't have been fair to her."

Kelly rolled his eyes. "And here we go again. You think this is fair to you?"

"Kelly, I love her with everything I have but you should have seen her. She was so happy helping these people. I am proud of her and it would be wrong to stop her from doing what she loves."

"Matt Casey, you're a so much better guy than me." Kelly had to laugh. "So you let her go because you love her?"

"Yep." Matt sighed. "I only wish it wouldn't hurt like hell."

"Give yourself some time to heal and you'll be fine." Kelly comforted his bro. "The pain will never go away completely but you'll learn to live with it. Part of you will always love her."

"I guess I have no other choice." Matt leaned back into the couch. "Do you have plans today?"

Kelly shook his head. "Nope. Stella is working at Molly's the entire day. We could go fishing."

"Great idea but let's take your boat and not call the chief."

Kelly laughed. "Not ready for some papa Boden talk, huh?"

"No. Not yet." Matt got up from the couch. "Let's pack our things. A boys fishing trip sounds like a good therapy right now."

* * *

In San Juan Gabby opened the door to her new apartment and carried all her bags inside. There was a small living room with a kitchen and an adjoining bedroom with a little bathroom. It had everything she needed. She unpacked her bags and got settled on the couch. Work started tomorrow so she had this day to become acclimatized again. Gabby grabbed her phone from the coffee table and dialed Brett's number.

" _Gabby, hey…how are you?"_

"I'm okay. I'm back in San Juan. Matt told me you wanted to speak with me."

" _Yes. Gabby, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have said what I said. It was totally uncalled for. You were going through hell and I yelled at you."_

"It's okay, Sylvie. I'm not angry at you."

" _Just tell me you didn't leave because of me"_

"I didn't. It was so much more. Don't beat yourself up. I'm fine now. I'm happy."

" _Glad to hear that. I hope you'll find what you're looking for. I miss you."_

"Miss you too, Sylvie. I'll call you again in a few days, okay?"

" _You sound sad, Gabby. Are you sure, you okay?"_

"Yeah, I'm just tired. Let's talk in a few days. Bye."

" _Bye Gabby"_

Gabby hung up the phone and snuggled into her blanket on the couch. She thought about her last night with her husband and her heart felt like a solid rock in her chest. Tears started to roll down her cheeks again and she sobbed. She looked at one of her favorite pictures of them on her phone. Matt was holding her in his arms in front of the Christmas tree. Stella had taken this picture last year. There was so much love in their eyes and she had to throw the phone away to avoid to break down again. She needed to be strong, to have her head in the game like Chief told her. She couldn't deal with her broken marriage right now.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you so much for your reviews on the first chapter. Here's an all new chapter for you. Some of you may notice that some characters of ER are in this chapter. I chose to use some of the ER characters for my story because they fit in very well and will be important for the next chapters. I hope you'll like this chapter.**

 **Enjoy reading,**

 **Miss Eliza**

* * *

 _Gabby_

It had been two weeks since she left Chicago to work here in San Juan and if somebody asked her how she was, she would say that she was happy. Helping all these people by coordinating first responder and construction teams all over the island was her dream job. Though she was no construction expert she managed well. She had learned a lot from watching a certain someone over the years. Gabby leaned back in her chair and watched the people outside her office through the window. She really liked her new office, it remined her of Chief Boden's office back at Firehouse 51. It had a large window and a glass front so she could see what was going on in the bullpen. Mike Hunter, their architect, was looking at a plan on the white board. It showed a new hospital, they were planning on building and Carol Ross, the nurse manager, was talking to him. It looked like they had an argument about something. Gabby smirked, when Carol turned around and walked towards her office. She liked the other woman. Carol opened the door. "Dawson, you have a minute?"

"Sure." Gabby put her pen aside. "Come in" Carol closed the door and took a seat in the chair opposite the desk.

"What can I do for you, Ross?"

"It's about the plans for the new hospital. Hunter may be a brilliant architect but he doesn't know anything about hospitals. I get it, that he works for free but if we let him have his way, we'll end up with some kind of fancy hospital for rich people and that's the last thing we need." Carol sighed. "We need a hospital for people without any insurance, it doesn't need to be fancy, it needs to be functional."

"I agree." Gabby nodded. "So what do you have in mind?"

"Well, the budget is tight, but maybe we could get some help from a private investor…well…more like a foundation."

"Let me guess, you know someone?" Gabby was curious.

"Yes." Carol looked at her. "We haven't had the chance to talk about personal stuff yet, but you have to know that I used to live in Chicago too. I was the nurse manager at County General, before I left to live in Boston."

Gabby's eyes grew wide. "Wow. That sounds like a long story."

Carol nodded. "It is and I would be more than happy to tell you everything but in a more private setting."

"Sounds great. Let's have a coffee at my place after shift. But now tell me about your idea regarding the foundation." Gabby flipped her pen in her hand. She was really curious now. Money was always tight and they really needed a functioning hospital.

"Well, there was this doctor at County, his family is very rich and when his grandmother died she left him everything. But he never wanted the money, he used it to build a clinic for people in need. But there was still money left so he and his wife founded the Carter foundation to help even more people."

"Oh wait, I think I've heard of him. His name is John Carter, right?" Gabby was excited. "And you think he would help us?"

"Yes, absolutely." Carol answered. "He's a great guy. Shall I give him a call?"

"Yes, that would be great." Gabby got up and hugged Carol. "You're a lifesaver. You saved us from getting a fancy hospital and you saved Hunter from losing his head."

"He won't be happy about this" Carol sighed.

"We'll give him another project." Gabby looked into her computer. "He can help building new homes for the people who lost everything. Just give this Dr. Carter a call and tell him to come here as soon as he can."

"Will do." Carol assured. "See you after shift?"

"Yes, 2 pm at my place? I'll text you the address." Gabby promised.

"See you later." Carol left the office

* * *

 _Matt_

It was a sunny day in Chicago and second shift of Firehouse 51 started their shift with roll call as usual. Matt stood next to Kelly as they were waiting for Chief Boden to approach. The door opened and Sylvie Brett entered the room. The only free place was the chair in front of Matt but she didn't take it. She turned around and leaned against the wall on the other side of the room. Severide raised an eyebrow. "What's that all about?"

Matt sighed. "She's avoiding me, but I really don't know why. Guess I need to talk to her later. Gabby gave me something for her."

"Yeah you have to. Chief doesn't like this kind of tension in his firehouse."

Matt wanted to say something but the doors opened again and Chief Boden walked to his usual place in front of his firehouse crew. "Morning, everybody. I have some announcements to make. Dawson has finished her probation in San Juan and Chief Hatcher told me, she's doing a great job. Meaning she won't be back anytime soon. Sylvie Brett will be our new PIC and a new paramedic is starting today, her name is Emily Foster. Speaking of her.." He looked around. "Where is she?"

"Apparently not here." Brett rolled her eyes. "I'll tell main to take 61 out of service, before we get a call." She grabbed her radio but before she could say anything a women came running into the room and slammed her bag on one of the tables in front of her. "Sorry, sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm late. Headquarters gave me a wrong address." She walked up front and shook Boden's hand. "Chief Body, nice to meet you."

Boden's expression was neutral when he answered. "It's Boden. Nice to meet you too, Foster. Brett will show you around." He looked at his crew. "That's it, dismissed. Casey, I need to talk to you in my office."

Matt left the briefing room and walked through the bullpen followed by Boden. When they reached the office, Boden closed the door behind them and gestured towards the couch in the corner of his office. "Sit down." Matt took a seat on the couch while Boden settled himself in an armchair. He looked at his captain with a concerned expression on his face. "How are you? And I don't want to hear that you're fine, because you're not. I can see that."

"What do you want to hear?" Matt raised his arms. "You said it yourself, she won't be back. She loves her new job and I'm proud of her."

"How did you two leave things?"

"I don't know, Chief. She came back to pack her bags and the next morning she sneaked out of the apartment like a thief. I never heard from her since then, it has been two weeks now. You want to know how I feel?" Matt shook his head. "Let's just say not great."

Boden looked at his captain with a warm expression on his face. "I'm sorry to hear that. But I guess she must have had her reason to leave. All I'm asking you is to not be angry at her if she calls you. You may regret it afterwards."

"Chief, like is said, there had been no contact in the last two weeks. She changed her cell number. I can't reach her, even if I wanted to." He covered his face with his hands and sighed. "I just want to get over it and focus on my job."

Boden nodded. "That's probably the best thing to do. But do me a favor: Don't close your heart for her. Reserve a small spot for her in case she changes her mind and comes back, so there'll be still a chance for you two."

Matt got up from the couch and laughed. "Don't worry, chief." He walked towards the door and opened it. Before he left he looked over his shoulder. "My heart belongs to her completely. That'll never change." With that he left and Boden couldn't help but smile. These two crazy kids. He shook his head. They were so in love, he was sure they would find their way back to each other. Matt made his way through the hallway and saw Brett in front of the bathroom. "Brett, do you have a minute?"

"Yeah sure." Sylvie looked down. She wasn't sure what to say.

"Are you avoiding me?"

"No…no…of course not. Why would I?" She could feel herself blushing.

"I don't know." Matt reached into his pocket. "Listen Brett…" He wanted to say something but got cut short by the bells. Everyone walked towards the apparatus floor, ready to face whatever was waiting for them.

* * *

 _Gabby_

It was almost 2 pm and Gabby was a little bit nervous. When she first came to Puerto Rico she had sworn to herself not to get close to people here. But with a permanent job she was in need of some friends. She had tried to call Sylvie a few times but she had never picked up. Probably because Gabby had called without caller ID. She was afraid Sylvie would give her new number to Matt. She wasn't ready to talk to him yet. It was complicated and she didn't know what to do, it still hurt so much. Most of the time it felt right to be here but when she was alone in her bed at night it felt like the most stupid idea she ever had. The doorbell brought Gabby back from her daydreaming. She walked into the small living room and opened the door.

"Hey Ross, I'm glad you came."

"Dawson, I'm glad too." Carol walked into the apartment and looked around. "You have a nice place."

"Thank you" Gabby closed the door. "I have a request."

"Alright, let's hear it." Carol was curious.

"Last names are for work. Please call me Gabby."

"Sure. I'm Carol." The two women laughed and Gabby gestured towards her couch. "Please have a seat. I'll get the coffee and some cookies." She walked into the small kitchen and came back a minute later, carrying a tablet with two cups of coffee and a bowl of her homemade cookies. While Gabby placed everything on the coffee table, Carol looked at her hands. "You're married?" Crap, she knew wearing her wedding band would raise questions but she just couldn't take it off yet.

"Yes." Gabby sat down next to Carol.

"Me too." Carol raised her left hand with a golden wedding band. "That's why I left Chicago. To be with him."

"Well, I kind of did the opposite. I left Chicago to get away from everything." Gabby swallowed.

"Yeah I suspected something like that." Carol took a sip of coffee. "You have this sad look in your eyes, even when you smile. May I ask what happened?"

"I married the greatest guy ever and it was wonderful until we wanted kids and found out that a pregnancy could kill me." Gabby looked down, it was hard to talk about this but she had Carol had become very close over the last two weeks. She was her favorite colleague. "We had an enormous fight and I left."

"Oh Gabby" Carol hugged her. "I'm so sorry to hear that. And you haven't talked since then?"

"Yes we have. We had talked everything out via Facetime the first time I was here and I went back to Chicago two weeks ago to get my things. There's no bad blood. He told me, he's proud of me."

"He never tried to stop you?" Carol wondered.

"No, because he knows me like no one else. He knew he couldn't stop me and he loves me, so he let me go." Tears were rolling down Gabby's cheeks, it was still very hard for her to deal with what was left of her marriage.

"Gabby, this sounds like you love him too. Why the hell did you leave?"

"Because I… I… " Gabby had a hard time not to start sobbing. "I felt like we needed some space and I was only planning on coming here for two weeks but then I started to love this job and they offered me a permanent spot."

"And you never want to go back to Chicago?" Carol very wisely avoided the word husband.

"I don't know yet. I'm happy with my new job. I guess I need some time to think about everything."

"I understand that, better than you think." Carol took Gabby's hands. "But promise me not to wait until it's too late. And make sure there's always a spot in your heart for him."

Gabby had to laugh. "You don't have to worry about that, Carol. My heart belongs to him completely. That'll never change." She pointed to Carol's left hand. "I told you my story, now I want to hear yours."

"We worked together at County and we had some issues with a superior, so he had to leave. Got a great job in Boston and before I knew I was alone. Pregnant and alone."

Gabby couldn't believe her ears. "He left you? And he knew you were pregnant?!"

Carol shook her head. "No, neither of us knew when he left. I found out a few weeks later and made the biggest mistake of my life. I never told him. I waited until the twins were born, then I gave him a call."

"Was he mad?"

"No. Not at all. He was disappointed and sad. Told me he would have been there for me, but I didn't let him. I wanted to do everything on my own. Told myself I didn't need anyone."

"But now you two are married?" Gabby really wanted to know the whole story.

"Yes, a dying patient got me thinking about my own life and how stupid I had been. I took my baby girls and got on the next plane to Seattle. That was nine years ago. We got married a few months after that."

"Wow." Gabby took a deep breath. "Your story definitely is more interesting than mine. But what brought you here?"

"I'm here for four months to work with FEMA. To be honest, John Carter asked me to do this. He wanted to come himself but couldn't get away from his clinic and his family."

"But he can do that now? To help with the hospital?"

"Oh, right. I almost forgot." Carol reached for her phone. I called him earlier this day. He loves the idea to help with the hospital. He'll be here in two days. Kem, his wife, just came back from Kongo, where she worked for doctors without borders. So she can take care of their daughter now. She's four and a handful."

Gabby was very relieved. "Oh I'm so glad about that. I'm great at coordinating first responders but I really don't know much about construction. I learned a few things from Matt but not enough to coordinate all the work."

"Your husband is a contractor?"

"It's his side job. He's a firefighter."

Carol laughed. "Oh, the good old cliché. Paramedic and firefighter."

"Yep." Gabby winked. "Couldn't help it."

* * *

 _Matt_

"Oh holy mother of god…." Herrmann looked out of the window of Truck 81. "Captain, this looks bad. Really bad." One of the highest buildings of Chicago was on fire. Thick smoke were coming out of the windows. Otis stopped the truck and Matt jumped out, searching for Boden. When he found him the two men looked at each other, before Boden began to speak. "Casey, let's find out what's going on."

"Alright." Matt looked at his men. "Grab extra oxygen tanks and follow us." They walked into the lobby of the building. People came running down the stairs, coughing. The janitor tried to get control of the elevators but wasn't successful yet. "Mouch, get over there and help him" Matt ordered. "Can you tell us which floors are on fire?" He looked at the janitor.

"Fire is on the 21st floor, some people said its already really bad up there."

"Casey, have 81 do a primary search on 22nd and 23rd floor. Squad 3, you take 24th and 25th floor. And Casey, check out that fire." Boden took the finger from his radio and looked at Matt. "Take Mouch too. I'll try to work on the elevators."

"Copy that, Chief." Matt walked towards his men. "Let's get up there. We have to take the stairs, elevators are still out of control." They made their way up to the 21st floor.

"Alright, everyone. Mask up!" Matt walked towards the fire door and opened it. When he did so, a giant fire ball came out and he hurried to close it again. "Chief?" He was talking into his radio. "Fire on 21st. is out of control. No primary search possible. Send 51 up to keep it from spreading."

"Copy that, Casey." Boden's voice came through the radio. "I have Jay Halstead here. His dad his living on 23c."

"If he's still there, we'll find him" Matt answered. "Mouch, come with me. Herrmann, Kidd, do a primary search on 22nd and Otis help Cruz get people out of here."

Everyone did as they were told and twenty minutes later they had evacuated the building. Matt walked out of the lobby, carrying a victim. It was Jay's dad. He was complaining, but Chout and Rafferty got him into an ambulance and took him to the hospital. Matt coughed and looked at the building. The fire had spread and it was getting dangerous in there. He reached for his radio. "Chief, I don't think we have much more time. You see the smoke?"

"Yeah. All entities, evacuate the building. I repeat, evacuate the building immediately." Boden ordered. Matt wanted to walk back into the lobby to help getting the victims out but a hand on his shoulder stopped him. He turned around and saw Brett. "Sit down and let me check you out or I'll report you."

Matt raised an eyebrow but turned around and sat down on the back of the ambo. He opened his jacket, so Brett could put her stethoscope on his chest.

"Take a deep breath." He did as he was told. "Lungs sound clear." She handed him a bottle of water. "Drink this and you'll be fine."

"Brett, talk to me. What is your problem? Are you angry at me?"

"Why? Why did you let her go? Why didn't you stop her?!" Brett had teary eyes.

"Believe me. I'm angry, sad, frustrated, but I couldn't stop her. There was no way I could have stopped her." Matt took another sip from the water bottle.

"Maybe, if I hadn't had this stupid fight with her…" Brett started to say but was cut short by him.

"No, Brett. Stop it. It wasn't your fault."

"But you got a chance to say goodbye. I didn't. I just got a weird phone call."

Matt reached into his pocket and got a picture out which he handed to her. "Gabby gave me this. I wanted to give it to you earlier, but got interrupted by the bells."

Brett turned the picture and on the back there was a message: _"Love you partner, and always will. Gabby"_

"Thank you, Casey." Brett put the picture into her pocket and wanted to continue her work but he stopped her. "What did you say? She called you?

"Yeah, it was very short. She just told me that she didn't leave because of me but I didn't believe her. She hasn't called me since then. I wanted to reach out but the number isn't working anymore. She must have gotten a new one."

"Yeah, she must have." Matt shook his head. "I can't get a hold of her either. And she really didn't leave because of you. Let it go, Sylvie." With that Matt got up and they continued their work on the scene. When they came back to the firehouse everyone was exhausted. After taking a shower Matt laid down on his bunk and closed his eyes. He had meant what he had said earlier. He was sure Gabby had left because of him. Because of the hurtful things he had said to her about not being able to carry a baby. The words had come out wrong, he had been so afraid to lose her. He could never forgive himself, if she died giving birth to his baby. But things had taken a turn for the worse. Now he was alone. Sure, they had talked it out but she was still gone and he didn't know how to fix the hole inside of him.


	3. Chapter 3

**_I felt very inspirited today, so I decided to write and post a new chapter. I hope you like it and don't be mad at me after reading it ;-) I'm already on the next chapter, so you won't have to wait very long._**

 ** _Enjoy reading,_**

 ** _Miss Eliza_**

* * *

 _Gabby_

The alarm clock rang shrilly and Gabby, barely awake, put her pillow over her head. No way it was already 7am. "Matt" She mumbled. "Make it stop. It's annoying." But nothing happened. The alarm clock kept ringing. "Geez, Matt. How can you sleep through this?!" She wanted to reach over him to turn the annoying sound off. That was when she realized that he wasn't there. She was alone. In Puerto Rico. And it was indeed 7am. Gabby sighed. Sleeping safely in his arms, feeling the warmth of his body, it had been a dream. Reality hit her like a punch in the gut. There was a meeting scheduled with John Carter today, so he had to be punctual. Pushing aside the sheets she got up and walked into her bathroom. Maybe a refreshing shower would help her getting the tiredness out of her system. She got into the shower and wanted to grab her shampoo bottle when she started to feel dizzy. "Great" She thought. "This is exactly what I need. Getting sick while planning this important project." She decided to ignore the symptoms, maybe it would make the bug go away. After getting dressed she took her keys and left. It was a short drive to the station but she wanted to be prepared for the meeting. This hospital was the most important project and if she handled it well, she probably would get a raise and maybe even a promotion. She parked the car in her usual spot and walked into the building. Since it was very early most of the team members hadn't arrived yet. Gabby walked into her office and started her computer to have one final look at her presentation.

"Morning, Dawson" Gabby looked up and saw Mike Hunter, the former architect of the hospital, in her doorframe.

"Morning, Hunter. What can I do for you?"

"I want to know why you took the hospital project away from me." He looked a little bit pissed. "It's our most important project."

Gabby took a deep breath. "I know. And that's why I decided to let some real pros handle it. You have absolutely no experience with planning and building hospitals and yet you did a great job. But what we really need is someone who has experience."

"And money." Hunter said bitterly.

Gabby nodded. "That's right. The Carter foundation has the money and the experience to help us building this hospital."

"Guess I can't argue with that" He shrugged. "So what'll I be doing instead?"

"You'll help build new homes for the people who lost everything. You have a lot of experience with planning apartment buildings."

"Really?" He couldn't believe it. "I still get important work to do?"

"Of course, Hunter. You're a great architect." Gabby smiled. "I'm sure you'll do a great job."

"Thank you, Dawson." He laughed. "I came in here to yell at you for taking away my job but instead I ended up with a better one."

"You're very welcome." Gabby wanted to focus on her computer again but he coughed slightly. "Yes?"

"Maybe" He blushed. "Maybe we can have a drink together after work? Someday?"

"Um" Gabby didn't know what to say. "Maybe. I'll think about it." She focused on her computer again and Hunter left her office. "What the heck did I just say?" Gaby said to herself. "I can't do that. I just can't." She thought about last night's dream or should she say every night's dream? It was always the same. She fell asleep just to dream about sleeping. In the arms of her husband. And every morning when she woke up she felt miserable. This wasn't moving on, this was clinging to the past. It had to stop but she didn't know how to stop it yet. Maybe going out with Hunter would help. Maybe this was the therapy she needed.

* * *

 _Matt_

"Severide, can I borrow your pen?" Matt was sitting at the table in the common room next to Kelly who was busy solving a crossword.

"Nope." Kelly didn't even look up. "Get yourself one. There are plenty on the kitchen counter."

Matt got up and grabbed a pen from the counter, when Cruz came walking into the kitchen. "Captain? I need to ask you something."

"Sure. What is it, Cruz?" He looked at him. "And don't tell me you want furlough at Thanksgiving. That's not gonna happen."

"No, no" Cruz hurried to say. "It's…you remember the woman I got out of the fire? Chloe? The one with the dog?"

Matt nodded. "Yep."

"Well, she asked me out on a date"

"And you want my permission, because…?" Matt was curious.

"No, it's not that. It's…she has a friend and… and…well….she said we would only go out when I would bring someone for her friend." Cruz bit his lip and looked at his Captain.

"You're asking me to be your wingman on a double date?!" He couldn't believe it. "But you do realize that I'm married?"

"Yes, but…" Cruz wanted to say something but he cut him short.

"No buts." Matt walked back to the table and sat down, looking at the construction plans in front of him. Kelly put his crossword aside and looked at his friend. "You should go."

"Excuse me?!"

"You heard me. You should go." Kelly was serious. "How long has it been since she left? 4 weeks?"

"No." Matt shook his head. "More like three weeks, five days and eight hours."

"Wow." Kelly wasn't really impressed. "This has to stop. Enough with the pity party, Casey. Let's face it, she isn't going to come back. She changed her cell number so you can't get a hold of her. She left you. It's over."

"Believe it or not, Severide, I know the facts" Matt felt his blood starting to boil. "But that doesn't mean I'm ready to move on. She's the love of my life! She always was the one for me. How am I supposed to forget her in 4 weeks?!"

"Calm down. I didn't tell you to forget her, I told you to move on. Have some fun." He gestured towards the construction plans. "All you're doing lately is working. When you're off shift you're doing construction jobs like 24/7. You deserve a nice night out with Cruz and some hot chicks."

Matt didn't say anything. He just grabbed his plans and left the room with an angry expression on his face.

"Wow" Mouch looked over to Cruz and Severide from his spot on the couch. "You two really pushed his buttons." He shook his head at them. "Inviting him for a double date, 4 weeks after his wife left him? Really, Cruz? What did you think? And you?!" He pointed at Severide. "That was the crappiest relationship advice ever."

"Why? I just told him the facts." Kelly defended himself. "He has to face it. Dawson won't be back."

"And what makes you so sure of that?" Mouch raised an eyebrow. "He is your best friend, you should be there for him instead of telling him to meet other women. Guess, I'll have to fix this." Just as he stopped talking his cell phone started to ring. He looked at it and got up to leave the common room.

* * *

 _Gabby_

She walked into the conference room, where a tall guy with dark hair was waiting for her. He was dressed very casually in khakis and a white T-Shirt. When she entered the room he got up from his seat and shook her hand. "Gabriela Dawson, I assume?" She nodded. "I'm John Carter. Nice to meet you. Carol told me very good things about you."

"Nice to meet you too, Mr. Carter. We're very lucky to have you here."

"Oh please, Mr. Carter is my dad. It's John or just Carter."

"Okay, Carter. In that case I'm Dawson. Shall we get started?" They sat down at the conference table. "Carol and the rest of the team will join us later. I'm sure she already told you a lot about the project?"

"Yes" Carter took a folder out of his backpack. "She told me exactly what you want and I'm happy to announce that it fits perfect into the kind of project the Carter foundation likes to support." He opened the folder. "I have all the important paperwork in here."

"So that means you'll really help us building this hospital?"

"Well, you have to show me your concept first but as long as it's a good one, and Carol already said it is, I don't see any reason to deny help." He smiled at her.

"Happy to hear that." Gabby opened her folder and they talked about the details of the project before they invited the team to join them. Afterwards Carter invited Gabby and Carol to a coffee in a nearby café. "Gabby Dawson, this is one hell of a project and I'm very happy to be here and work with you. Carol, you didn't exaggerate when you told me she's not only a badass paramedic but a great project planner."

"Told you so." Carol winked at him. "It's so good to see you again. How's Kem and more important, how is Grace?"

"Kem is doing great. She worked in a HIV clinic in Kongo for 6 weeks, she is one of the founders of the clinic." He explained to Gabby. "And she likes to go back and see how it goes there. And Grace is very happy her mommy is back. She is used to us being away for some time due to our jobs but she still doesn't like it. Neither do we. But we can't take her with us. It's too dangerous. When she's older she can join us on some of our trips."

"Sounds like you two finally worked everything out." Carol was happy for him. She looked at Gabby, who was listening to them very interested. "They met in Kongo, then came back to the US only to split up and suffer until they were reunited again."

Carter laughed. "Well, that's the short version. What did you run away from?"

"what? I?" Gabby stuttered. "Why.. how…what do you know?"

"Nothing." Carter answered. "Everyone who does this kind of job for the first time runs away from something. Either a boring job or a toxic relationship, or…oh looks like we have a winner. Toxic relationship?"

"Kind of. Don't want to talk about it now."

"That's okay. I just want you to know that this therapy only works temporarily."

Gabby shrugged. "I know. But thanks for the advice. I can see why Carol likes you. You seem to be a very good guy, John Carter."

"Right back at ya, Gabby Dawson."

"Hey, what about me?" Carol complained smiling.

"Oh come on, you know we love you." Gabby laughed. "I think I'll try a new kind of therapy tonight."

"Oh yes?" Carol was curious. "And what is that?"

"Hunter asked me out and I think I'm taking the offer. Excuse me, I have to make a call. See you later. Thanks for the coffee, Carter." She got up and walked back to the station while dialing a familiar number.

It rang a few times before someone picked up. _"Randall McHolland?"_

"Mouch? It's me. Gabby."

" _Oh my god, Dawson. I'm so happy to hear from you. How are you?"_

"I'm fine. Are you at the firehouse?"

" _Yes"_

"Can anybody hear you?"

" _No. When I saw the number I had a hunch it could be you. What can I do for you?"_

"I needed to hear a familiar voice." Gabby admitted. "My new job is great but I don't feel so good lately."

" _I can imagine."_ Mouch chose his next words very carefully. _"Dawson, have you thought about calling Casey, lately?"_

"Yes"

" _Then why didn't you?"_

"I'm afraid. I want to move on but at the same time I can't. I don't want to come back to Chicago, Mouch. But I miss him a lot."

" _Maybe you should just tell him that?"_

"I can't. It would only hurt him. He wouldn't understand."

" _Oh Gabby"_ Mouch sighed. _"But what you're doing now isn't good for the both of you. You have to make a choice. Either to move on or to save your marriage. You can't have both."_

Tears were rolling down her cheeks and he could her that she was crying when she answered. "I know. How is he?"

" _You broke his heart, Gabby. Or you broke each other's hearts, I'm not the one to judge. He's miserable. Just like you. You have to make a decision and you have to tell him about it. You can't leave him hanging, that's not fair."_

"Don't you think I know that? But I don't know what I want, Mouch. Part of me wants to move on but the other part dreams of him every night."

" _Listen to your heart, Gabby. As corny as that sounds, but the answer is inside of you. Try to find it and for God's sake give that guy a call when you know it."_

"Thank you for listening, Mouch. I will do that. Please don't tell anybody I called you."

" _Of course not. Feel free to call whenever you need something."_

"I will. Bye." Gaby hung up the phone. She chose to call Mouch because he always had been the only one at the firehouse who could keep a secret. Maybe Herrmann was better at giving advice, but he probably would have told Matt about her calling him. Without thinking she dialed another number. "Hunter? It's Dawson. I would like to have a drink with you tonight."

* * *

 _Matt_

He was pissed, like really pissed. How could they talk to him like that? Like his marriage was over? Like Gabby would never come back? He refused to believe that there was no chance for them. She just needed time to heal, to recover from the awful things he had said to her. God, he would do everything to take his words back. But he couldn't. He had apologized like a hundred times but he was sure she had not forgiven him. Not yet. The empty apartment reminded him every day of how bad he had screwed up and so did the empty beer bottles in the trash bin. There was a knock at his door and Kelly walked into his office. "I'm sorry, man. That was bad advice." He sat down on Matt's bed. "I just don't want you to be miserable. I thought maybe a nice night out would cheer you up."

"I know." Matt scratched his head. "I probably shouldn't have blown up. Maybe you're right. Maybe she won't come back, but I'm not ready to face that reality yet. Part of me still hopes she'll be back."

"And that's okay. But it's no reason to make your life a living hell."

"you know what?" Matt realized he could need some distraction and he definitely needed Kelly to stop giving him relationship advice. "Maybe I should go on that double date with Cruz. Maybe Chloe`s friend is nice. I mean I don't have to pull a Severide and sleep with her at the first date, right?" He joked but deep inside he was sad. He hated dating meaningless women, but maybe he should get used to it. Maybe he would even start to like it.

"Definitely not." Kelly was surprised. "Are you sure?"

"Yep" Matt got up. "I'll tell Cruz." He walked towards the apparatus floor where Cruz was playing cards with Capp. "Hey Cruz, count me in on that date."

"Thank you, Captain. I'll call Chloe." When Matt turned around to go back into the firehouse he saw Mouch in the driveway talking to someone on the phone. He got a little bit nearer. "Of course not. Feel free to call whenever you need something." Mouch hung up the phone and turned around, facing his Captain. "Casey! How long have you been standing there?!"

"Only two seconds, why?" He wondered.

"Oh nothing, it just was a private conversation." Mouch shrugged and walked past him. Matt raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything. Something about this phone call seemed odd. He wanted to go back into the firehouse to get some paperwork done, when the bells went off.

" _Truck 81, Squad 3, Engine 51, Battalion 25, Ambulance 61, multiple car accident, Interstate 94"_


	4. Chapter 4

**_Here's an all new chapter for you. Writing this story is kind of therapeutic for me and I hope so is reading it._**

 ** _Enjoy reading,_**

 ** _Miss Eliza_**

 ** _PS: Sorry, not sorry for the evil cliffhanger ;)_**

* * *

 _Matt_

He closed the door of his wardrobe and put on his grey jacket, before he looked into the mirror to his right side. Matt sighed. Sure, he looked good in that jacket. It had always been Gabby's favorite. She had chosen it for him in the store two years ago. Gabby. Oh, how he missed her. Maybe agreeing to go on this date was a huge mistake. Maybe… No. He told himself not to go down that road again. She was gone and wouldn't be back anytime soon. He had to try to move on. But truth was, he couldn't. He couldn't give up hope that she would be back some day. That he would hold her in his arms again. He took one last look into the mirror to make sure that his hair looked okay and walked into the living room to grab his keys. There was a knock on the front door. "Open up, I know you're still home." Matt walked to the door and opened it. "What the hell are you doing here?!" He asked Severide.

"Promised Cruz to make sure you would actually leave your apartment and go on that date."

"Well, as you can see, I'm on my way." Matt was a little bit annoyed.

"I can see that. But you're not driving. I'm your driver tonight, so you can have a drink."

"Maybe I don't want a drink."

"I'm not asking." Severide took his keys and threw them back into the apartment. "Come on, I'm driving you to the restaurant."

Matt sighed and followed him to his car. After a 15-minute drive they arrived at the restaurant Cruz had chosen for the date. Matt got out and thanked Kelly for driving him. "Are you going to pick me up later?" He joked.

"No, you're a good-looking guy. I'm sure you'll find a bed to sleep in." Kelly wisecracked and drove off. Matt shook his head at his best friend and walked into the restaurant. Cruz was waving from a table on the left side of the room, next to a window.

"They aren't here yet?" Matt asked him.

"No, Chloe called me. They got stuck in traffic." Cruz was visibly nervous.

"Calm down, Cruz." Matt sat down opposite to him. "It's just a dinner."

"For you maybe." Cruz sighed. "I really like Chloe and I don't want to blow it."

"Then don't" Matt laughed. "Just be yourself and I'm sure she'll like you too."

"Maybe." Cruz looked at Matt. "Maybe it was a bad idea to take you as my wingman, Casey."

Matt was confused. "Why?"

"Well, how do they say?" Cruz grinned. "When you go to a double date, you should take your ugly friends?"

They both laughed. "Life is not a beauty pageant, Cruz."

Cruz wanted to answer something but when he looked up he saw Chloe and her friend approaching. He gestured Matt and he got up too and turned around. Chloe's friend was a petite blonde, dressed in high heels and a little red dress.

"Hi Chloe" Cruz decided to start the conversation. "So nice to see you again."

"Hi Joe, nice to see you too. This is my friend Kayla"

"Nice to meet you Kayla. This is Matt Casey"

"Hi Matt" Kayla shook his hand. "I see Joe chose well." She winked at him and Matt felt a little bit uncomfortable.

"Hi Kayla" He gestured towards the table. "Let's sit down and have dinner."

* * *

 _Gabby_

"I don't have anything to wear" She complained in front of her wardrobe. "I left almost all my fancy clothes in Chicago."

"Oh, come on" Carol, who was sitting on Gabby's bed, said. "There are tons of clothes in there. I'm sure we'll find something." She got up, reached into the wardrobe and got out a fancy lavender dress. "This one."

"No way." Gabby shook her head. "I wore this dress on our last date night and…"

"Gabby!" Carol cut her short. "Stop it! Why are you going on a date when all you do is talk about your husband?!"

"Because I need to move on." Gabby was stubborn. "Our marriage is ruined and I don't want to think about that right now. I need something to distract myself."

"All right. In that case it shouldn't be a problem to wear that dress." Carol raised an eyebrow. "Right?"

"Give it to me" Gabby grabbed the dress from Carol. After she got dressed Carol helped her with her hair. "You look beautiful, Gabby. I hope you'll have a nice evening."

"But what you really want to say is that I'm making a huge mistake" Gabby laughed.

"Yep" Carol nodded. "It's just that I can see how heartbroken you still are and I really think going out on dates is not the right thing to do right now."

"Trust me. It is." Gabby put her keys and wallet in her purse.

"Okay. If you say so." They went into the living room. "I'll go now." Carol said. "Have fun tonight and don't do anything stupid."

"I promise." Gabby winked and they hugged. Carol left and Gabby waited for Mike Hunter to pick her up. Twenty minutes later, there was a knock on her door. When she opened it, she saw him standing on her porch. He was dressed in jeans and a black button-down shirt. Just like the one she had bought for…No, stop it! She told herself and smiled at Mike. "Hey, good to see you."

"Likewise," He took a step forward. "You look gorgeous."

"So, what are your plans for tonight?" Gabby asked him.

"I'll take you to dinner and drinks in Maria's bar and diner. It's a very nice place." He got nearer and took her arm. "Let's go"

"Sounds good to me." It felt weird walking alongside another man, holding her arm. It felt really weird, but she had to do this. She had to move on, right? At least that was what she told herself over and over again.

* * *

 _Matt_

After dinner they went to Molly's for drinks. If you asked Matt, he would say dinner had been okay. Chloe and Joe really seemed to be into each other but he couldn't say the same thing for him and Kayla. In fact, she was a pain in the ass. They were sitting at a table for four but Kayla nearly was on his lap. She did everything to get his attention and it was very clear what she wanted.

"So, Matt" Kayla leaned over to him so her breasts were almost in his face. "You're one of the bosses at the firehouse?"

"Yep"

"That's hot" She licked her lips. "I bet you've worked a lot of fires"

"Um" He tried neither to look at her breasts nor her lips.

"What do you do when you're not working?"

"I have a construction business" He was really annoyed but he didn't want to go home because of Cruz. He seemed to have fun and he didn't want to ruin it for him and Chloe.

"Jackpot." Kayla laughed a little too loud. "Firefighter and Contractor." She got nearer and whispered into his ear. "Wanna get out of here? I think there's a fire in me you need to put out."

"Uh…thanks, no." He shoved her aside, grabbed his jacket and walked out of the bar. Unfortunately, Kayla followed him. "What's wrong with you? A hot chick wants to sleep with you and you just go home?!"

"What's wrong with _you_?!" Matt asked back. "Did I do anything that said _"Jump my bones"_? I don't think so. I went on this date, because Joe asked me. I just wanted to have a nice evening not a quick lay."

"And I just wanted to have some fun." Kayla was offended. "But you are a loser, Matt Casey!" She yelled and walked away. Matt got his phone out of his pocket and wanted to call a cab, when he heard clapping. Kelly was standing in the entrance of the bar. "Wow, Mr. Womanizer." He laughed. "That was a kick in the pants. She was hot, why didn't you go home with her?"

"Because she was annoying" Matt defended himself.

"She was hot. Like really hot." Kelly walked over to him. "Did you see her legs?"

"Maybe" Matt looked at his best friend. "Can you drive me home?"

"Sure. Just came here to watch the show." Kelly winked.

"Hope you had a great time" He said sarcastically.

"It was a great episode of _How to repel a hot chick in less than 50 minutes_ " They got into the car and Kelly started the engine. "So why didn't you sleep with her? And the fact that she was annoying doesn't count. You don't talk while doing it."

"Kelly… I really don't want to talk about that" Matt closed his eyes and hoped that Kelly would stop asking but he wasn't lucky.

"You said yourself that you wanted to have some fun. What stopped you?"

"I don't know, okay?!" Matt was getting really annoyed. "I just wasn't in the mood."

"You haven't been in any mood since almost 4 weeks now. Stop beating yourself up." Kelly couldn't help it, he was worried.

"What do you expect me to do, Kelly?! Dancing on the table and having sex with every woman that comes along? That kind of therapy maybe works for you but not for me. I can't do that. Technically I'm still married and I would never cheat on her. Never ever."

"Matt, she left you. Maybe you should file for divorce, if that's what stops you from moving on."

Kelly's words caused Matt to blow up. "Are you completely insane?!" He yelled. "It's been 4 fucking weeks! Not four years! I can't stop loving her, it's not as easy as flicking a lamp off! What would you do, if Stella left you tomorrow?! Huh?"

"Good point." Kelly had to admit. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I'm just worried about you."

"Well then just stop it!" Matt was still pissed. "I just need some time. I'll be fine." Deep inside Matt knew that it was a lie. The date tonight had shown him how much he was still hung up on Gabby. All he had been able to think about was their last date night. How they had laughed and make jokes. How they got home after having ice cream at Navy Pier. How they had made love all night long. Only six weeks later his life was a complete mess. He couldn't even tell how they had gotten there. To this point where they were hurting each other, fighting like they never had before. Before he could lose himself deeper in his thoughts, Kelly stopped the car in front of his apartment building.

"Thanks for giving me a ride." Matt opened the door but Kelly stopped him from getting out.

"I'm sorry, man." Kelly looked him in the eyes. "I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have said the things I said and I definitely shouldn't have made you the butt of my jokes. But the truth is, I'm pissed at Dawson for leaving everyone behind without saying goodbye."

"I know." Matt had to admit that part of him understood the way Kelly acted. "I felt the same when she left for the first time."

"Well at least she came back and you two could talk things out."

"Yeah but it still hurts like hell and it's not really getting better." Matt sighed. "Guess it'll need more time than I thought it would."

"Maybe" Kelly felt really sorry for his best friend. "Do you have a construction job tomorrow?"

"Yep. Wanna grab a beer at Molly's tomorrow night? I should be done by three-ish." Matt got out of the car.

"Sounds good. See ya at 7 at Molly's?" Kelly asked.

"Yeah, see ya." Matt closed the door and walked towards the entrance of the apartment building. He unlocked his front door and got into his apartment. After he took out his fancy clothes and got dressed into lounge wear he checked the answering machine. No messages.

* * *

 _Gabby_

Maria's Bar and Diner was a very nice place. It reminded her of Molly's. They sat on a table for two. Mike had ordered wine and Gabby was searching the menu for something that she liked.

"You found something yet?" Mike asked her and Gabby looked up from the menu.

"I think, I'll take a burger with fries."

"Wow." Mike was impressed. "Most women would choose a salad and the dressing on the side."

"I am not like most women." Gabby rolled her eyes. "You should know that by now."

"Oh, I do. You are special." He winked at her and wanted to say something but the waitress came back to their table and took their orders.

"What did you want to say?" She was curious.

"You aren't like most women. You are a badass, Gabby Dawson. You're a great paramedic and an okay building designer and that means something coming from an architect."

"Thank you." Gabby blushed. "I really needed a nice compliment after this crazy day."

"John Carter seems like a nice guy."

"Yeah, he really is. But it's all new for me and I'm scared that I'll screw up."

"Oh, come on, you won't. You know a lot about construction business. I have to admit, you surprised me. Where did you learn all that? Not in the CFD I guess?"

"No" Gabby shook her head. "I know someone who has a construction business back in Chicago. I learned a lot from him."

"Well then I should send him a thank you card for teaching you so well" Mike laughed about his little joke.

"Um…maybe not" Gabby tried to change the subject. "Let's not talk about work tonight. I did that all day"

"Fair enough." Mike took a sip of his white wine. "Did you hear about the jazz concert next week in the little piano bar around the corner?"

"Yes, I love jazz. I was planning to go." Gabby bit her tongue now he would probably want to go with her. But that was a good thing, right? Moving on was good.

"Me too" Mike confirmed her thoughts. "We could go together."

"Uh…yeah…that's a great idea." Gabby drank something of her wine but somehow, she didn't like it. "You could pick me up at 8?"

"Deal"

The waitress came back and brought their food. They had dinner and talked. Afterwards Gabby felt a little bit tired.

"You want a drink?" Mike asked her.

"No" Gabby shook her head. "I feel like going for a walk. What do you say?"

"Great idea. Let me pay for dinner and then we can go." He paid the bill and they left the diner. It was a beautiful evening.

"Look at those beautiful stars" Gabby was visibly impressed. "You don't get to see that in Chicago."

"No, there's too much light pollution." They walked alongside each other and Mike took her arm again and it felt weird again. "This is such a beautiful town. It's a shame that large parts of it are still destroyed."

"Yes, it is." Gabby looked at a building in front of them, that was missing its roof. "But it'll get better."

"Thanks to this amazing woman next to me" Hunter stopped and turned her around so she faced him. He took both her hands in his and leaned forward until his lips touched hers. When he started kissing her, Gabby suddenly felt weird. At first, she wanted to kiss him back but everything inside her was screaming to stop and before she could do anything she gagged, pulled back and emptied her stomach in front of him on the pavement. "Oh God, oh God, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry." Was all she could say.

"Hey, it's okay" Mike as visibly worried. "Are you okay? I'll take you back to your apartment." Nobody said anything until they arrived at her apartment . Gabby searched her purse for her keys and unlocked the door.

"I don't fell so good." She said to Mike. "I think I'll lay down. Good night."

"Good night." Mike hesitated at first but then he hugged her. When she came in contact with his shirt and smelled his cologne, Gabby felt sick again. She pulled back and ran into the bathroom where she was nauseous once again. This time it was painful because there was nothing left in her stomach but biliary. She sighed. There was a knock at the bathroom door. Gabby turned around and saw Mike standing in the doorframe. "Sorry for following you but I was worried."

"It's okay" Gabby got back on her feet. "I think I have the flu."

"Get well soon" Mike said and walked to the door. "See you at work, when you're feeling better."

"Thank you." Gabby closed the door behind him and sat down on the couch. Suddenly she felt dizzy. Very dizzy. She grabbed her phone from the coffee table and called Carol.

"Hey Carol, I'm feeling very sick. Can you maybe bring me some meds? I don't have anything here."

" _Yes, of course. What happened?"_

"I don't know. I had a very nice time with Hunter and when we were walking back home from the diner he kissed me and suddenly I got sick and then again when he hugged me on my porch. Maybe it was his aftershave that gave me the rest but I've been feeling off for the last days. Guess it's the stress."

" _Could be. I'll get you some meds and be at your place in about half an hour."_

"Thank you, Carol. I owe you."

" _Yes, you do. See you in a few minutes. Bye."_

Gabby hung up the phone and laid down on the couch. She fell asleep very fast and was woken up by a knock on her door. She got up and opened it to let Carol in. "Hey, what did you get? Vomex?" She tried to grab the brown paper bag in Carol's hands but wasn't successful.

"No, not exactly." Carol closed the door behind her. "Gabby, I'll give this to you later. First I need to ask you something."

"Okay…" Gabby was curious. "What is it?"

"I think you should sit down." Carol walked around the coffee table and sat down on the couch. She patted on the free seat next to her and Gabby did as she was told. Carol placed the brown paper bag on the ground before she started talking. "How long have you been feeling off?"

"I don't know. Maybe a few weeks."

"Can you describe your symptoms?"

"Well, I was tired a lot and a few days ago I felt dizzy after waking up. Few hours ago, the dizziness came back after I talked to a friend from Chicago on the phone. And I couldn't stand the smell or taste of the wine at the diner, it made me nauseous just like Hunter's aftershave. Every time I got near him, I felt like puking and…oh…." Gabby looked at Carol with wide eyes. "You mean?"

"Maybe"

"No. It can't be." Gabby shook her head and for a few seconds she actually believed herself.

But Carol wasn't buying it. "Gabby, maybe I'm completely wrong but we need to know. When was your last period?"

"I… I…. Oh my God….seven weeks ago. But I was stressed."

"That could be the reason." Carol took her hand. "But we need to rule the other thing out."

Gabby didn't say anything. She just nodded. "I guess there are pregnancy tests in the bag?"

"Yep. Two of them and you'll take them both."

"I can't be pregnant." Gabby started sobbing. "I can't."

"It's okay" Carol comforted her. "Let's find out first before agonizing. Maybe it's nothing."

"Do I have a choice?" Gabby managed to ask.

"No" Carol helped her getting up from the couch and gave her the tests. "I'm pretty sure you know what to do. I'll wait here."

Gabby got into the bathroom and took both of the tests. Afterwards she washed her shaky hands and Carol set the timer on her phone. The two women were standing in the frame of the bathroom door, looking at the two pregnancy tests on the sink like they were some kind of strange animal. Carol could see fear in Gabby's eyes and prayed for her that the tests would be negative. This poor woman already had more than enough on her plate. Gabby couldn't think anything but that Carol wasn't the person she wanted to be here right now. When the three minutes were over, she turned the tests around to look at the results.

"And?" Carol asked her but Gabby didn't seem to hear it. She looked at those two stupid pieces of plastic and what she saw tipped her over the edge. She had trouble breathing and her chest felt tight. In fact, it was her heart. Her heart hurt like hell, because it was breaking once again.


	5. Chapter 5

**_I promised you the next update wouldn't take long and here it is! I'm so glad, you love this story as much as I do._**

 **Enjoy reading and please leave a review :),**

 **Miss Eliza**

* * *

 _Gabby_

This couldn't be true. It just couldn't. Gabby stared at the plastic sticks in her hands and felt her heart break. This was a bad dream, right? She would wake up every moment and this wouldn't be true. It was just a really, really bad dream.

"Gabby?" Carol's voice came from the bathroom door. "What is it?"

Gabby didn't say anything. She just handed Carol the plastic sticks and walked over to her bed where she fell down and cried like a baby. What the hell had she done?! She felt a hand on her back, stroking her until she had no more tears left. "Feeling better now?"

"Nope" Gabby looked at Carol, her face was puffy from crying. "I feel like an idiot."

"Welcome to the club. Membership is free." Carol hugged her. "We'll work it out together. Everything will be fine."

"Really? How?" Gabby rolled her eyes. "I left my husband, because we had a huge fight over having a baby and now I'm alone in Puerto Rico. Pregnant and alone and oh, right, this pregnancy could kill me." She started sobbing against Carol's shoulder.

"What did the doctor in Chicago say? Why exactly could a pregnancy be fatal for you?"

"Because I have an aneurysm in my stomach on an artery. There's a 10% risk I might die. Matt told me, he would never take this risk, because he didn't want to lose me." Matt. Thinking of him made her cry even harder. She would never admit it to anyone else but she needed him so badly right now. She would have done anything to be in his arms. But it was too late. She was alone. Pregnant and alone. Well done, Gabby Dawson.

"Oh Gabby, I'm so sorry." Carol could see how miserable her friend was. "You know what? Let's take you to the station right now. There's an examination room and we can run a blood test." She looked at her watch. "You wouldn't be able to sleep right now, would you?"

"No way and brilliant idea. But since when are you a doctor? There's no doctor at night shift."

"Don't worry, I'll take care of that problem. Get your things, I'll drive." Gabby got into her bedroom to grab her things while Carol dialed a number on her phone.

"Carter? Where are you? I have an emergency and I need the best doctor I know. See you at the station?" She waited for his answer. "Great" Carol hung up the phone and looked at Gabby who was waiting for her. "Let's go."

* * *

 _Matt_

"Captain, what happened at Molly's last night?!" Cruz asked Matt who was reading the paper in his office.

"That Kayla was a pain in the ass." Matt didn't look up from his paper. "She seemed desperate for attention."

"Well ,she came back into the bar and told us you left her standing alone on the street."

"That's not true" Matt looked up. "She basically jumped me and I walked away."

"Yeah" Cruz chuckled. "I figured something like that must have happened. Told them you would never do something like that without having a really good reason."

"I hope Chloe isn't mad at you"

"No, she isn't. She actually was a little bit embarrassed, because she brought Kayla. She thought you might like that kind of distraction" Cruz laughed. "That's why she chose her for the double date."

"Tell her there's no reason to be embarrassed. It wasn't a big deal, Kayla and I just wanted different things."

"Will do" Cruz left and Matt tried to focus on his paper again but his eyes found the picture of Gabby that was still on his desk. She looked so happy in her turn out gear with that giant smile on her face. He felt the urge to call her and grabbed his phone but then he remembered. She had changed her number. He couldn't call her even if he wanted to. Matt sighed. He missed her like crazy and he would never love anyone like he still loved her. He needed distraction. He got up and walked into the common room where the crew of truck 81 was hanging out. "Truck 81, meet you on the apron in 2 minutes. We're doing drills."

Mouch and Herrmann were complaining but everyone got up and followed him. "What kind of drills are we doing?" Otis asked.

"Pipe drill. Raise the aerial."

"The aerial?!" Mouch rolled his eyes. "I climbed a 23 story building last shift. That was more than enough training."

"Looks like the date didn't went well" Herrmann whispered back. "He has to blow of some serious steam."

"Mouch! Herrmann! I can hear you. Zip it and come over here!" Matt yelled. Herrmann was right. He had to blow of some steam but not related to the date. They continued doing drills for the next hour until everyone was sweat-soaked. When they wanted to take a shower, the bells went off. "Great" Stella rolled her eyes. "The warm up is done, time for the real work out." Everyone got into the truck and they drove off with lights and sirens.

* * *

 _Gabby_

She walked into the examination room where Carter was already waiting for them. "Hey Gabby, I won't ask you how you are, because I can see you're miserable. Mind telling me what it is?"

"I'm pregnant." Tears were rolling down her cheeks. "And the doctor back in Chicago told me there's an aneurysm in my stomach that could rupture and kill me if I get pregnant."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Carter gently rubbed her shoulder. "Let's take a look, all right?"

"Okay" Gabby laid down on the examination bed and lifted her shirt. "That enough or do you want to do a vaginal ultrasound?"

"No, not yet. I want to take a quick look on the baby and see if everything is alright. Then we'll take a longer look on that aneurysm of yours." He took the ultrasound transducer and Carol put some gel on her belly. A few seconds later the sound of a heartbeat felt the room. "Is that?" Gabby didn't finish her sentence.

"Yep" Carter took a closer look on the ultrasound monitor. Looks like you're about 6 weeks pregnant."

"But I left Chicago 4 weeks ago and…" Gabby stopped and laughed. "Yeah, I forgot it counts form the day of my last period."

"Exactly. Everything looks pretty good. Baby is in the right place but I want to run some blood tests. Carol can you draw blood, please?"

"Yes, Dr. Carter" Carol laughed. "Just like back in the good old times."

"So everything is okay with the baby?" Gabby took a deep breath. "But what about the aneurysm?"

Carter moved the ultrasound transducer a little bit. "Where did you say it's supposed to be?"

Gabby explained once again but Carter didn't see anything. "Yes, there it is." Carter took a closer look, then he looked at Carol. "Could you come over here, please?" Carol, who had just finished drawing Gabby's blood, put away the samples and walked over to him.

"Look at that, does that look like an aneurysm to you?"

"Honestly? Yes. Why do you ask?"

"I've seen a case like this before, and if I'm right it's not an aneurysm but we need to run some more tests to be sure. Is there an MRI available here?" He looked at Gabby.

"Yes, in the Princess Hospital. It's a private clinic."

Carter looked at his watch. "Well, this is no emergency but I'll call them now and try to make an appointment."

"you can use the telephone in my office."

Carter left the room and Gabby looked at Carol. "I'm afraid."

"I know." Carol took Gabby's hand. "But I wasn't kidding when I said Carter is the best doctor I know. I'm sure everything will be fine." She waited a moment before she continued to speak. "Gabby, I know you left everything behind, but this is really tough on you. Don't you think you should call somebody?"

"No!" Gabby got up and got dressed again. "Not yet."

The door opened and Carter walked back into the room. "You have an appointment for a MRI tomorrow at 10 am."

Gabby was impressed. "Usually there's a long waiting list, how did you…"

"Doesn't matter." He cut her short. "I'll see you tomorrow at the hospital. Go home and try to get some sleep. Maybe Carol can keep you some company? I don't think you should be alone right now."

"Absolutely" Carol agreed with him. "I'll take you home and make a quick stop at my place to get some things."

"You don't have to do that" Gabby didn't want to make a lot of fuss.

"Yes I have" Carol put an arm around her shoulders. "You need a friend right now."

"Thank you, Carol and you too, Carter."

"No problem." Carter answered. "I need you on your feet, because I want to build a hospital with you." He winked and Gabby laughed. "That's right. Let's go home"

* * *

 _Matt_

He jumped out of the truck and looked at the two story building that was completely on fire. A woman came running his way. "My husband is in there, you have to get him out." She was crying.

"Is anybody else in there?" Matt asked.

"No, no, just him. Please, get him out!" She tried to run back in to the burning building but Matt grabbed her arm. "Ma'am, please stay here with the paramedics. Brett, Foster, come over here and take a look at her" He yelled in direction of the ambo. As soon as the two paramedics arrived, he looked at Chief Boden. "Chief, this doesn't look like anybody should go in there." The smoke that came out of the building was turning black and sparks came flying out of the roof. "It's an oven."

"I agree." Boden reached for his radio. "Engine 51, open up the water cannons. Squad 3, Truck 81, no one goes into the building until the fire is out."

Boden looked over to the paramedics and then back at Matt. "Did she tell you where her husband was?"

"No, Chief. Shall I ask her?"

Boden shook his head. "Not yet. We can't get him out. Let's hope he'll make it."

Matt could hear by the sound of his voice that he didn't really believe in his own words. When engine opened the water cannons, the woman in the ambo started screaming. "No! What are you doing? You are going to kill him! You'll kill him! You have to get him out!" She wanted to run in direction of the house again but this time Severide stopped her. He didn't say anything, just took her in his arms and let her cry on his shoulder. When she calmed down a little bit he handed her back to Brett. "Give her some valium and drive her to the hospital. She doesn't need to see this."

"I'm not sure, if that's a good idea." Brett looked at him. "She needs closure. I'll give her something but we'll stay here. I already called for a second ambo. They should be here any minute and will take the burn victim"

Severide looked at Matt. "You agree with this?"

He nodded. "It's probably the best."

"Fire is out!" Chief yelled into the radio. "Casey, Severide do a primary search."

"Copy that, Chief" Severide spoke into his radio. Matt looked at Stella. "Kidd, you're with me." They put their masks on and followed Severide and Capp into the building. "Severide, Kidd and I will take the first floor."

"Copy that. Capp and I will go upstairs." They made their way through the building.

"Fire Department, call out!" Kidd was yelling but she didn't get an answer. Neither did Capp and Severide. Matt sensed that this wouldn't turn out well. He looked into the kitchen and saw a pair of shoes under the table. "Kidd! I think I got something." Stella followed him into the kitchen. When they put the table aside they saw the heavily burned body of a man. Matt checked for a pulse but there was none. He reached for his radio. "Capp, Severide, we found the victim in the kitchen. Mouch, Herrmann, bring a body bag." Capp and Severide came down the stairs and entered the kitchen. "Wow" Was all Capp said. "This looks bad." Severide took a look around and his eyes found Matt's. "You see that too?" He pointed at the oven and the wall above it.

"Yep. Looks like something in the oven caught fire."

"Captain, here's the body bag. You want us to put him in there?"

Matt nodded. "I don't want his wife to see him like this. Not now. Not like this." They put the body in the bag and carried him outside, where the second ambo was already waiting. When the wife saw them she started sobbing uncontrollably. "Oh my God, Jake. No…no…no!" She escaped from Brett's grip and started screaming at Matt and Kelly. "Why didn't you get him out? You should have done your job but instead you killed him. You killed him!"

"Ma'am, you need to go back into the ambulance and calm down." Chief Boden came up next to them. "When we arrived, the fire was out of control and most likely your husband was already dead. There's nothing we could have done." He took the sobbing woman back into the ambo and the rest of the crew started to pack things up. When they arrived back at the firehouse, Matt walked next to Cruz on the apparatus floor. "Cruz, can I ask you something?"

"Of course, Captain." Cruz sat down at the squad table.

"Last year, when I was caught in the factory fire…Dawson…how did she…did she behave like.."

"Like that woman on the scene?" Cruz shook his head. "No, after you said goodbye she basically shut down. She didn't scream or anything. She just stood there and looked at the fire." He put his hands on his face. "I'll never forget that look on her face. I probably shouldn't tell you, but it came to my mind that if you had died in that fire, it would have killed Dawson."

"Thanks for telling me, Cruz." Matt went into the firehouse and straight into his office, where he fell down on his bed, looking at the photo on the nightstand of him and Gabby at the barbecue last year. Mouch had taken the picture and when he gave it to him he had said, that he'd never seen two people so in love. And now it was all gone. That poor woman from the fire had reminded him of Gabby, when she had desperately told him to get out of the burning factory. Gabby. He missed her every single second. She was all he could think of and somehow he had a strong feeling that something was wrong. But he couldn't tell what it was and it drove him crazy that he couldn't reach her. Matt sighed and took his phone out of his pocket. He checked his voicemail. No messages from Gabby.

* * *

 _Gabby_

To say her night had been bad would have been an understatement. Gabby had cried herself to sleep and she woke up crying. She couldn't believe what she had done to Matt and to herself. As if the mess she created by leaving wasn't already enough. Now she had to cope with a pregnancy. Carol had heard Gabby crying and came walking into the bedroom. "Morning, Gabby. I hope you got at least some hours of sleep?"

"Yeah, it's okay." Gabby sat up in her bed and rubbed her face with her hands. When her feet touched the ground a wave of nausea hit her and she ran into the bathroom to empty her stomach.

"Welcome to the joys of pregnancy" Carol said dryly. "It's all sunshine and roses, without the sunshine and the roses."

"Haha" Gabby managed to say while she got up and reached for her tooth brush. "I'll take a quick shower. When do we have to leave?"

"In about an hour." Carol left the bathroom and sat down on the couch in the living room. She felt sorry for Gabby, because she knew from her own experience that being pregnant and alone wasn't a good combination. Sooner or later Gabby would have to call her husband, but Carol had a hunch that her stubborn friend would wait far too long to make that call. She definitely needed a little push, or maybe a big one.

"Ready to go" Gabby entered the living room.

"No, you need to eat breakfast first." Carol pointed to the kitchen table where she had prepared a cup of tea and some fruit salad with yoghurt.

"I don't think I can eat anything right now." Gabby refused. "I still feel sick."

"It'll go away after eating breakfast. Trust me."

"Okay" Gabby gave in. "Guess eating healthy can't be wrong." She ate her breakfast and afterwards the two women prepared to leave for the hospital.

Carol parked her car in the garage that belonged to the clinic and they went inside. Carter was already waiting for them. "Good morning, Ladies" He greeted them. "Please follow me"

"Since when do you work here?" Carol asked and pointed at his lab coat.

"Oh, I don't." Carter shrugged. "But extern doctors can use their MRI, so I told them I worked for FEMA. I hope that's okay." He looked at Gabby.

"Of course" Gabby managed to smile. "Technically it's the truth. They don't need to know that you're not here as a doctor."

"Thought you would say that. But now let's get you into that MRI machine and have a look at whatever that is in your stomach." They walked into the MRI room and after she got dressed in a hospital gown, Gabby laid down on the machine.

"Alright, you know the process?"

Gabby nodded. "Yeah I do, I won't move and no, I'm not claustrophobic."

"Great" Carter smiled. "Carol and I will be in the room next door. Just relax."

Gabby did as she was told and after 15 Minutes her friends came back into the room.

"You did great, Gabby." Carter said as he got her out of the MRI. "You can get dressed now and come to the examination room. Sixth door on the left."

"Will do"

Five minutes later Gabby opened the door to the examination room, where Carter was looking at a computer screen that was placed on a desk. "So?" Gabby asked. "What is it?"

"Come over here and have a look." He pointed at a small spot on the screen. "I totally understand why the doctor in Chicago thought it's an aneurysm. It really looks like one on the first sight but in fact it's not. It's just scar tissue from the ectopic pregnancy. It's harmless."

Gabby couldn't believe what she had just heard. "But how could they be so wrong?"

"It's really difficult to see and because it's on the aorta, they assumed it's an aneurysm. I had a similar case a few years ago. It's really hard to see the difference but in your case I'm a hundred percent sure."

"Really?" Gabby was shocked. That meant she and Matt had fought over nothing. She had left for nothing. Everything seemed completely senseless right now. She had ruined her marriage, because she wanted her own kids so badly, she was willing to die for it. And now it turned out there was never as risk?! "I'm so stupid."

"Nah, I wouldn't say that." Gabby turned around and saw Carol standing in the doorframe. "You panicked. Everyone would have done that in your situation."

"I ruined my marriage over something that didn't even exist!" Gabby couldn't help but started to cry again. "And now I'm pregnant and alone, because of my own stupidity."

"You are not alone." Carol took her in her arms. "We are here for you. Every step on the way. You still have a hospital to plan and I'm sure you'll do one hell of a job."

"Right. The hospital." Gabby looked at Carter. "We are supposed to meet the other investors for lunch right?"

He nodded. "Right. But there's still plenty of time for you to get ready."

"My presentation is ready and I told my assistant to book the conference room and get some finger food. We should be fine." Concentrating on work was a good thing. So she didn't have to think about everything else.

"Great" Carter shook her hand. "See you in a few hours. I'm sure Carol will give you a ride?"

"Of course" Carol answered. "Let's go" They walked along the hallway towards the elevators and Gabby pushed the button to call an elevator. Carol looked at her and decided that there would never be the right time to bring this up so she could do it now. "Gabby, don't you think you should make a call?"

"No, why?" Gabby looked down. She didn't want to think about that right now.

"Because he deserves to know and because you are miserable and heartbroken and sad." Carol reached for her phone. "You can take my phone if you don't want him to know your new number but for God's sake, Gabby, call him. Don't make the same mistake I did. Don't' go through this alone."

Gabby didn't answer. The elevator arrived and they got in. She pressed the button for the garage.

"Gabby?!" Carol tried again. "Did you listen to me? Don't do this to yourself and to him."

"Do what?" Gabby asked sharply.

"Be too stubborn and proud to make things right. Trust me, I've been there and done that. It was the worst time of my life."

"I can't." Gabby looked at her. "I screwed up, our marriage is ruined and I don't want him to come back to me because he feels sorry for me. I'll do this alone. I'm strong, I can do it."

"Did you even listen to yourself?!" Carol got angry. "Why the hell would he feel sorry for you?! From what you told me, I would say he loves you. Maybe he will be happy about this, did you consider that option?!"

"No!" Gabby shook her head. "I can't consider that because I can't risk getting my heart broken again. That would kill me."

"So you'll just do nothing and raise your baby alone?"

"I don't know yet. I need some time to think." The elevator doors opened and the entered the garage and walked towards Carol's car.


	6. Chapter 6

**_Here's an all new chapter for you. I hope you'll like it._**

 ** _Enjoy reading and please leave a review :) ,_**

 ** _Miss Eliza_**

* * *

 _Matt_

When he came home from shift, he was still thinking about that pour woman, who had lost her husband in the fire. Her horrified face had burned into his mind and he couldn't stop wondering why destiny could be so cruel. He had asked Cruz about Gabby at the factory fire, because after last shift he started to understand how she had felt. There's nothing more cruel than not being able to save your loved one. Gabby had almost witnessed him being burned alive, maybe that was why she had been so persistent about having a baby that was biological theirs. Matt was thinking the events of that night over and over. They had been fighting really bad, that's for sure. But he still didn't get why she had left forever, why she had thrown it all away. Deep inside he wanted nothing more than going to San Juan and bring her back to Chicago, but he knew that wouldn't be fair to her. Matt walked into his bedroom and got changed for his construction job. His eyes wandered to the photo on the dresser. Severide had taken it on their wedding day. They were both in turn out gear, happy, holding each other, two real life heart eyes emojis. He swallowed. The pain inside him was still strong. He would never love another woman like he loved her, never. Nothing made sense without her. The apartment didn't feel like home to him anymore, everything reminded him of her. He hadn't had a good night's sleep since she left. Ever since she walked away, Matt was thinking of something that he could do to save their marriage, he had even considered to move to Puerto Rico but deep inside he knew that wasn't what he really wanted. He looked at his watch, it was time to go. He had promised Mr. Baker to fix his window today. It was starting to get cold in Chicago and he didn't want the old man to deal with a broken window while it was stormy outside. Closing the door behind him, Matt put his toolbox in his truck and drove to Mr. Baker's house. It was a nice neighborhood with two storied buildings. The old man was already waiting for him on the front porch.

"Mr. Casey, nice to see you" He greeted him. "I' It's m glad you found some time to fix that damn window."

"Of course, Mr. Baker." Matt smiled. "A window that doesn't close is a pain. Especially in autumn."

"You can say that again." The old man walked into his house and Matt followed him. They entered the living room and Mr. Baker pointed at one of the windows. "That's the little bastard." He laughed. "I would have fixed it myself but I am all thumbs. My wife told me to call you, said you would get it done in no time while I would end up in the hospital."

Matt laughed while he opened his toolbox. "Your wife was right. It's just one of the hinges and the handle is jammed." He began to work while the old man sat down on the couch, watching him. "Mr. Casey, I hope you don't mind me telling you, but you look very tired."

"Had a tough shift." Matt reached for a screwdriver. "Wife lost her husband in a fire."

"Oh my God." Mr. Baker shook his head. "That's terrible. You couldn't do anything?"

"No, the whole building was like an oven when we arrived. Way too dangerous to run inside."

"I'm so sorry. That must be hard on you." The old man looked at him. "You should go home after this, holding your wife very close to you." He pointed at Matt's wedding band. He was still wearing it when he wasn't on shift.

"She left." Matt closed the window. "I'm done, no more draught in here"

"Thank you." Mr. Baker got up. "I don't know what happened and it's none of my business, but if you still love her, and I can see in your eyes that you do, get her back. Don't let your pride get in the way, do everything you can to get her back."

"I already did that." Matt closed his toolbox. "Didn't work."

"I lost my Annie once." Mr. Baker smiled. "I was so stubborn back then. But she came back to me."

"What did you do?" Matt was curious. "To bring her back?"

"I called her every day and told her that I love her. Took me six months to change her mind." Mr. Baker laughed. "But I was successful in the end. She's still mine."

"Glad to hear" Matt walked outside and put the toolbox back in his truck. Mr. Baker handed him his wage. "Thank you, Mr. Casey. I'll call again if something needs to be fixed."

"Have a nice day, Mr. Baker." Matt got into his truck. Before he drove away he could her the old man yelling. "Call her!" He sighed. If only he could do that. He reached for his phone and checked his voicemail. Nothing.

* * *

 _Gabby_

"Dawson, you're doing one hell of a job with that hospital" Chief Hatcher was visibly proud of her.

"Thank you, Chief Hatcher" Gabby smiled. "I really love this job and Mr. Carter is a great partner to work with." She winked at Carter who was standing next to her.

"Glad to hear, you two are getting along together." Chief Hatcher pointed at the plans that were pinned on the wall at Gabby's office. "We really need that hospital."

"We know." Carter said. "That's why we are building it. We met with some investors yesterday and it went really well. They all want to give us money."

"Glad to hear that. I have an appointment now, but Dawson, I'll call you later. Are you ready to work in the field again? We need a badass PIC in the crisis area."

Gabby didn't know what to say. She really wanted to do it but she knew she couldn't. "Actually, Chief, I can't do that. I'm very busy with planning the hospital and everything."

"I'm sure you can do both, Dawson. With Carter at your side it should be fine."

"Chief, I can't work in the field. I would never forgive myself, if something happened." Gabby took a deep breath. "I'm pregnant."

"Oh, congratulations, Dawson. Does that mean you want to go back to Chicago?"

"No" Gabby shook her head. "I don't. And I don't want anybody to know."

"Copy that." Chief Hatcher looked at her. "I won't tell anybody." He walked out of her office and Gabby sighed.

"He seems to know that it doesn't make sense to tell Gabby Dawson what to do" Carter laughed.

"Oh yes" Gabby grinned. "He was my boss back in Chicago too. Used to say that I'm responsible for most of his grey hairs."

"I can imagine that." Carter looked at the plans. "If everything goes by plan, the hospital should be finished in about 10 months."

"Sounds great" Gabby sat down in her chair and closed her eyes for a second. "I feel dizzy"

"Another joy of being pregnant." Carter joked. "We are done here, you want me to give you a ride home?"

"No, I need to talk to someone." Gabby looked through the open door. Mike Hunter was sitting on his desk.

"I thought your husband was back in Chicago"

"He is." Gabby swallowed. "That's the guy I threw up at."

"Oops" Carter chuckled. "And you want to tell him how sorry you are?"

"Exactly." Gabby got up and walked into the bullpen. "Mike? Do you have a minute?"

"Of course." He looked up from his work. "What is it, Gabby?"

"I'm so sorry for everything that happened. But…"

"You're not ready for a new relationship. At least not yet?"

"How do you know?"

"Well, you throwing up every time I touched you was a hint." Mike grinned. "It's okay, Gabby. I get it."

"Thank you. No bad blood?"

"No bad blood."

Gabby turned around to go back into her office but bumped into Carol who just came back from a call.

"Wanna grab a coffee after shift?"

"Sure. Did you call him yet?" Carol couldn't help it.

"No" Gabby looked down. "I can't."

"Come with me." Carol dragged her into the office and closed the door. "Did you even try?"

"Like I said, I can't. I'm not ready now."

"You do realize that it'll get harder the longer you wait?"

Tears were rolling down Gabby's eyes. "I know. But I don't know if I can tell him on the phone."

"Gabby, you should at least call him and tell him that you need to talk. Like I said before, don't make the same mistake I did."

"I will call him after shift." Deep inside Gabby knew that it was the right thing to do, but she didn't know if she had the strength to do the right thing.

"Do you want to use my phone?"

"No" Gabby laughed. "He's my husband, not a crazy creep. It's okay when he knows my new number."

* * *

 _Matt_

It was almost 8 when he came back from his last construction job of the day. All he wanted to do was taking a hot shower and lay down on the couch to watch the hockey game on his DVR. Matt parked his truck in front of the apartment building. When he got out someone called his name. He looked around and saw Kelly standing on the pavement. "I called you three times to tell you I was coming over to watch the game."

"Sorry, my phone was on vibrate." Matt opened the door and they got into the apartment. "Make yourself at home. I'll take a shower." Matt disappeared into the bedroom and Kelly took one beer of the six-pack he brought and sat down on the couch. He turned on the TV and zapped through the channels. Suddenly a noise attracted his attention. Matt had left his phone on the coffee table and it was vibrating. No caller ID.

"Did you bring beer?" Matt was asking from the kitchen.

"Yeah in the fridge." Kelly yelled back.

Matt came into the living room, a cold beer in his hand. He sat down next to Kelly on the couch and selected the recorded game on the DVR menu.

"Someone called you earlier. No caller ID." Kelly told him before he could press the play button. Matt reached for his phone on the coffee table. "Yup. No caller ID and no voicemail." He put the phone back on the coffee table and started the game. "Probably just a marketing call."

"Yeah, probably." Kelly took a sip from his beer. "Have you heard from the Mrs. yet?"

"Nope and I don't think she'll call anytime soon and yes I miss her like crazy but no, I don't wanna talk about it. I just want to watch the game. I'm done talking about my feelings."

"Copy that."

The two men watched the game in silence only interrupted by cheering for every goal the Blackhawks scored. After Kelly had left, Matt called it a day and made himself comfortable in his bed. It had been a long hard day but he enjoyed the physical work, it prevented him from drowning in his sorrow. He reached for the book on his nightstand and started reading. It was a thriller about a guy who had to run away from the mafia after witnessing a murder. He really liked it. Matt heard his phone vibrating on the dresser and wondered who called him this late. He got up and looked at it. No caller ID. "Matt Casey. Hello?" No answer. Complete silence on the other site. "Hello? Who's there?" Nothing. "Okay, this is not funny." He ended the call and went back into bed. When he laid down, he heard the phone vibrating again but this time he decided to ignore it. Whoever it was, wasn't worth the attention. Probably just someone who wanted to pull a prank. He set the alarm clock and put the book on the nightstand. After switching the lights off, Matt closed his eyes and fell asleep soon. There was a smile on his face while he slept. He dreamed of Gabby, like every night since she had left.

* * *

 _Gabby_

When she came home from work, Gabby took a hot shower and laid down on her couch afterwards. It was almost 8 and she was very tired. The baby was sucking up a lot of her energy. Grabbing the blanket from the armchair, Gabby tucked herself in and closed her eyes. A little nap would be okay, she decided. After what felt like seconds, she was woken up by a knock on her door. Gabby yawned and got up. Carol was standing on the other side of her door. "Hey, did I wake you up?"

"Yep. I was so tired after shift." Gabby looked at her watch. "I slept for half an hour."

"Did you call your husband yet?" Carol walked into the living room.

"No" Gabby shook her head. "I wanted to but then I freaked out." She put a hand on her still flat belly. "Maybe I should give it some more time"

"Oh no, you shouldn't." Carol shook her head. "You have to tell him, you can't wait until you're visibly pregnant."

"Why not?" Gabby was stubborn. "I just don't feel ready yet."

"Newsflash: You never will. Because there's no such thing as the perfect moment to tell your husband you're pregnant after you left him."

Carol reached for Gabby's phone on the coffee table. Scrolling through the contacts she soon found what she had been looking for. She dialed and gave the phone to Gabby. "Talk to him"

Gabby's hands were shaking when she reached for the phone. She put it on her ear and the sound of the dialing tone made her feel dizzy. After what felt like an eternity the call went to voicemail.

" _Hey this is Matt, please leave a message after the tone. PS: If this is Gabby, I still love you."_

Gabby let the phone fall to the ground. "What happened?" Carol looked at her. "Did he pick up?" Gabby shook her head.

"Call went to voicemail."

"Then why are you so shocked?"

"The message… the message.. he said…" Gabby stammered. "He...he said that he still loves me."

"On his voicemail?!" Carol couldn't believe what she heard. "He must really love you."

"I know" Gabby started to cry. " I'm a coward."

"Yes you are" Carol took her hand. "But it's understandable. You're afraid and that's okay but you really need him at your side."

"Yeah, I miss him like crazy." Tears were rolling down Gabby's cheeks. "Maybe he'll call back."

"He can't" Carol reached for the phone again. "I changed the settings of your phone to no caller ID. Thought it would be easier for you that way."

"So I need to try again?"

"Looks like it." Carol got up. "You want me to make you a tea?"

"That would be nice. I really don't have a lot of energy left. Maybe we can watch a movie together?"

"Great Idea" Carol walked toward the kitchen. "A really cheesy chick flick?"

"Love it." Gabby turned on the TV and started the streaming app. "What about Pretty Woman?"

"You got yourself a deal" Carol came back with two cups of tea. "Need anything else?"

Gabby shook her head. "Just a friend at my side."

"Always at your service" Carol sad down next to Gabby and started the movie. While watching it, Gabby realized that she really couldn't go further down this road. She needed to tell Matt. She would just leave a message on his voicemail. Or maybe she should wait? Gabby argued with herself and when she came to a result the movie was over.

"What were you thinking about the whole time?" Carol knew her friend very well.

"Matt" Gabby reached for the phone. "I need to tell him, you were right. He's probably asleep already, I'll leave a message, so he can call me back."

"Sounds like a plan. You want me to go?"

"No, please stay. I need moral support" Gabby dialed and waited. After three rings he picked up. _"Matt Casey, hello?"_ Gabby wanted to say something, but she couldn't. _"Hello, who's there?"_ She still couldn't say anything. She got teary eyed. _"Okay, this is not funny."_ He sounded annoyed and hung up.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Carol was wondering.

"Just couldn't." Gabby sobbed. "What am I supposed to do now?"

"Change the settings of your phone, so he has your number. Call again, leave a message or if he pick up, talk to him. You don't need to tell him on the phone. You can ask for a meeting."

"Great idea." Gabby took a deep breath before she dialed again. This time with caller ID. After three rings the call went to voicemail. _"Hey this is Matt, please leave a message after the tone. PS: If this is Gabby, I still love you."_

Her voice was shaking when she started to speak. "Matt, this is Gabby. I still love you too and I really need to talk to you. Please call me back. Bye" She hung up.

"I'm proud of you" Carol hugged her. "You made the first step in the right direction."

"Don't know if I'll have the strength to tell him." Gabby smirked. "That I left for nothing, that we fought over nothing."

"You told me, you talked it out, before you left."

"Yeah, but afterwards I walked out of the apartment without saying goodbye."

"So what? Maybe he's a little bit pissed…nothing to worry about" Carol joked and Gabby laughed.

"You're right. I'm pretty sure he'll call me back tomorrow." Gabby yawned. "Guess I need to go to bed. I have a meeting with Carter tomorrow morning at the construction site."

"And I have to be at the station very early" Carol got up and walked to the door. "See you tomorrow. I hope he'll call you back. Call me, if you need anything."

"Thanks. I will." Gabby closed the door behind Carol and went into her bathroom to get ready for bed. She changed into her pajama and brushed her teeth. When she climbed into her bed, she took a last look on her phone. Nothing. Gabby fell asleep pretty quick with a little smile on her face, because she dreamed of Matt, like almost every night. The sound of the alarm clock woke her up after what felt like minutes. But it was 6:30am. Time to get up. Gabby took a quick shower and got dressed. When she opened the fridge and the smell of the leftover Lasagna hit her, she ran back into the bathroom and threw up. Apparently the smell of food wasn't something the baby appreciated in the morning. She rubbed over her belly. "It would be really nice, if you could stop this. We have a tight schedule today and I don't want to throw up in front of the investors."

Gabby brushed her teeth again before walking back into the kitchen to make breakfast. She was craving fruit salad and cereals right now. When she sat down on her kitchen table, her phone started ringing. She took it and looked at the Caller ID: "Matt". Taking a very deep breath, she answered the call. "Hey Matt"


	7. Chapter 7

**Here's an all new chapter. I hope you'll like it. Thank you for all your lovely reviews. It's great to see how much you care about this story and it encourages me to continue it.**

 **Enjoy reading and Happy Thanksgiving to all my American readers,**

 **Miss Eliza**

* * *

 _Matt_

Sunlight was falling through the curtains of his bedroom. Matt could feel the warmth of it on his face. He opened his eyes and reached for the alarm clock that had went off on his nightstand. It was 6am, so he still had some time to take a shower and get ready for shift. He yawned and got out of bed. Maybe a shower would help him to wake up. The floor tiles in the bathroom felt cold beyond his feet. The glass door of the shower was still open from the day before. Matt got in, closed the door and turned on the faucet. Warm water started to spray down on his body. Sweet memories came into his mind, when he used to shower with Gabby before shift, to "save time". They had always enjoyed those little private moments before spending 24 hour in one of the busiest firehouses of the city. He turned the water off and grabbed a towel from the rack. After he dried himself, Matt walked back into his bedroom and got dressed for shift. His duffle bag was on the chair next to the dresser. He took it and threw some clothes for the next day and his phone in. When the phone sensed the movement, the lock screen flashed and he saw a notification that someone left a voicemail. It couldn't be the same person from the night before, because this time there was a caller ID. He didn't recognize the number though. Maybe it was someone who needed some construction work done. Matt put the phone into his pocket and left the bedroom to make himself some coffee and a sandwich before heading out to work. He sat down at the kitchen counter and looked at his phone. While taking a sip of hot coffee, he decided to listen to the voicemail. He could really need some more construction work, it helped him to forget about the mess his life was right now. He unlocked the screen and dialed to listen to his voicemail. When he heard the message, he nearly choked on his coffee.

" _Matt, this is Gabby. I still love you too and I really need to talk to you. Please call me back. Bye"_ Was he dreaming? Matt couldn't believe what he had just heard. When his phone asked him if he wanted to call back, he pressed yes.

* * *

 _Gabby_

Her heart was pounding hard against her chest when she picked up the phone. "Hey Matt" She managed to say. _"Hi Gabby, how are you?"_

Great question. How was she? Pregnant, alone, scared… "I'm okay. My job is a little bit stressful at the moment. We'll start to build a new hospital next month. How are you? Everything okay at 51?"

" _Wow, that sounds like an interesting project. I'm okay and yes, everything's fine at the firehouse."_ Matt decided that the small talk needed to come to an end. _"But I'm pretty sure that's not the reason you called me after leaving me in the dark for six weeks."_

"Matt, I'm so sorry." Gabby started to cry. Damn hormones. "I shouldn't have left you like that, but I told you the truth. I wouldn't have had the strength to go, if I had talked to you that morning. I'm so sorry."

" _I know. But why did you have to change your phone number?"_

"Because I knew, if you had called me and told me how much you still loved me, I would have taken the next plane to Chicago. But I needed some space to start my new life."

" _So why are you calling me now? Telling me you still love me?"_ He sounded annoyed and Gabby couldn't blame him.

"Because I do. I still love you. I never stopped missing you since I came here. I didn't have a god night's sleep since I left you."

" _I still love you too, Gabby. And I didn't have a good night's sleep either since you left. But that doesn't change the fact that you're living in Puerto Rico now."_

"I know." Gabby took a deep breath. She knew, she couldn't tell him the news on the phone. "I need to talk to you in person. I really do. Can you maybe come here for a weekend?"

" _Gabby, I would love to, but where will that lead us? You don't want to come back to Chicago right now and I don't want to move to San Juan. It's a dead end."_

His words felt like a slap in the face. Gabby couldn't help starting to sob really hard. "Please, Matt. I…I…really need you."

" _Gabby? Why are you crying? Is something wrong?"_ Now he sounded worried. She could have said yes and she knew he would have been there in a heartbeat. But she didn't.

"I wish I never left."

" _Me too."_ His voice sounded emotional.

"I can't come back yet, because of my job, but I really need to see you. Can you please come here? Please?" Begging was something Gabby didn't do, unless she was really desperate and Matt knew it.

" _Gabby baby, tell me what's wrong"_ Hearing him call her baby made her heart skip a beat. Tears started to roll down her face again.

"I can't right now. Please come here. I need you."

" _Gabby you have me really worried. What the hell is going on?!"_

"I…I'm…I can't do this." She hung up the phone and broke down sobbing right where she was. In the kitchen. On the floor. At least that's what she thought she did, but she missed the button. Matt's voice came out of her phone. _"Gabby? Gabby? Baby? What is wrong? Can you hear me? Gabby?"_ But she didn't hear him. She cried until she had no tears left but she still didn't have the strength to get up. After a few minutes she realized that there was a voice coming out of her phone and it sounded a lot like her worried husband. Finally she got up and reached for the phone. "Matt? I'm sorry you heard that." She looked at the clock on the wall. "Don't you have to go to work?"

" _Positive. But my wife was having a breakdown on the phone and I was worried sick. Would you mind telling me now?"_

"I can't, Matt. I can't tell you on the phone." This time she made sure she pressed the right button. There was a knock on her front door. Gabby opened it and Carrol walked in. "You look terrible. Have you called your husband?" Gabby nodded. "From the look on your face I can see it didn't went well."

"I had a breakdown and he heard it and now he's worried sick but I couldn't tell him on the phone, that I'm pregnant. I asked him to come here."

"And?"

"I hung up"

"Gabriela Dawson, are you out of your mind?!" Carrol couldn't believe what she had just heard. "You call your husband after leaving him in the dark for six weeks and you hung up?"

"Maybe he'll call me back." Gabby was a little bit hopeful.

"Or maybe he's really pissed right now. I wouldn't blame him. What is wrong with you? That's not you."

"I know" Gabby looked down. "Guess I made it worse."

"Yep." Carrol hugged her. "But you said he was worried. Not pissed. At least not on the phone. Maybe that's a good sign."

"Maybe." Gabby looked at her watch. "We need to go to work. I have a meeting with Carter and some guy from the building control department."

The two women grabbed their bags and left.

* * *

 _Matt_

After Gabby had hung up on him, Matt didn't know what to do. Deep inside he knew something had to be terribly wrong, because otherwise Gabby wouldn't have called him. But he wasn't ready to go to Puerto Rico yet. He grabbed his bag and his keys and drove to the firehouse. When he got out of his truck, he saw Kelly leaning against his Mustang. "You look like you've seen a ghost." Kelly stated the obvious.

"More like being on the phone with one." Matt sighed, shouldered his duffle back and walked towards the firehouse.

Kelly's eyes grew wide and he went after him. "What?! Are you serious? Did Gabby call you?"

"Yep."

"So she was the mysterious caller from last night?" Kelly couldn't believe it.

"Probably. Last time she left her number so I called her back." Matt wasn't really in the mood to talk about the situation but he knew Kelly wouldn't stop until he had.

"What did she say?" They entered the firehouse through the side entrance.

"Told me she still loved me and wanted to talk to me in person." Matt put his duffel bag down on the bank in front of his locker.

"And?" Kelly was really curious now. "Geez Casey, trying to get information out of you is like trying to get blood out of a stone."

"She wanted me to go to San Juan, said she really needed to talk to me. But I told her it's a dead end. She doesn't want to come back to Chicago yet and I don't want to move to Puerto Rico." Matt put his bag into his locker and closed the door.

"If you're so sure of that, why are you looking like crap?" Kelly wasn't buying it. He knew how much he missed his wife.

"I don't know. She started crying and wanted to hang up but she must have missed the button and then she had a breakdown. I could hear her sobbing. Afterwards I begged her to tell me what's wrong but she just told me she couldn't do it and hung up. This time for real."

Matt buried his face in his hands. "Something has to be terribly wrong. Otherwise she never would have called me and it drives me crazy that she didn't tell me."

Kelly patted him on the back. "I know. You should call her again. Talk to her and if she doesn't tell you on the phone, book a flight and talk to her in person."

They left the locker room and went to the conference room for roll call. Chief Boden was already waiting for them. "Good morning, gentlemen." He gave them a stern look. "Hope you had a nice chitchat."

"Sorry, Chief" They both said and sat down.

After roll call Matt went straight back into his office to call Gabby. He didn't notice Mouch sitting on the small couch next to his office, reading something. Matt closed the door and sat down at his desk. He held the phone in his hands. His finger over the call button next to Gabby's name. Taking a deep breath he pressed it and waited. She didn't pick up. Maybe she was in a meeting. He decided to try again later. Not wanting to think about it anymore, Matt got out of his office and went back into the common room, where some of the guys were watching a football game. Kelly gave him a quick look. "No luck?"

Matt just shook his head and sat down on a chair. He didn't really watch the game, because he couldn't stop thinking about Gabby. Mouch entered the common room and sat down next to him. "How are you, lieutenant?"

"I'm fine. Thanks." Matt really didn't want to talk about it. Not again.

"I just wanted to let you know, that I'll be there for you, if you need to talk to someone."

"Thanks, Mouch. I really appreciate it." Mouch's phone started to ring and he left the common room to get the call.

* * *

 _Gabby_

The meeting with the building control department went really well. They knew how much the city needed this new hospital and were very cooperative. They were impressed by Carter's experience and Gabby's enthusiasm. "I don't think there'll be any obstacles getting all the permissions you need." Mr. Baker told them. "I'll make sure everything gets done quickly."

"Thank you" Carter shook his hand. "We really appreciate that. The sooner we can start building the better. People really need medical care."

After he had left, Carter looked at Gabby. "You have done a great job so far."

"Thank you." Gabby yawned. "Sorry, I just feel pretty tired." Gently she stroked her stomach.

"That's normal in your condition. The baby takes a lot of your energy." Carter was a little bit worried because Gabby was tired all the time the last few days. "But you've been tired a lot and I have a hunch that it's not because of the baby."

"You're right." Gabby looked down. "Did Carol tell you?"

Carter nodded. "Not everything but most of it. She needed someone to talk."

"It's okay. I know how close the two of you are and you're right. It's because of the mess my life is right now."

"Dawson, your life is perfectly fine. You have a great job, you are married to a guy you love and who loves you and you're expecting a baby."

"You left out the fact the we're separated and he doesn't know about the baby."

"That can be changed very easily. Talk to him." Carter encouraged her. "In fact we're done here for today and I'm sure the rest of the team can get along without you for one day."

"I don't know…" Gabby started to object but Carter cut her short. "Yes you do. As your doctor I'm telling you to go home, call your husband again and talk it out. I don't care whether on the phone or in person but you need to tell him before it eats you alive. Emotional stress can be dangerous for an unborn baby."

"Alright, alright. I'm out of here" Gabby grabbed her things and left the office. She knew that she had to call Matt again but she wasn't sure if she was ready yet. But then she remembered something Mouch had once said to her. "There's no such thing as the perfect timing. But if you miss out on something good, you'll deeply regret it one day." She sighed and got into her car. Before she started the engine she texted Carol, who was in the field today, that Carter would take her home later. There was a missed call. Matt. She would call him after she got home. Gabby stopped at a supermarket and bought some ice cream, pizza and a bottle of lemonade. She knew she had to eat healthy but right know she needed some junk food. One time wouldn't hurt. When she got home, she settled down on the couch with her cozy warm blanket and the pizza. Scrolling through the contacts on her phone, she stopped at a name and pressed call.

" _Dawson? Is that you?"_

"Hey Mouch, yes, it's me."

" _You sound as miserable as Casey looks right now."_

"Can he hear you?" Gabby asked anxious.

" _Of course not. I'm not that stupid."_ Mouch sounded a little bit offended.

"Good." Gabby took a deep breath. "I really need him to come to San Juan but he won't do it."

" _Did you tell him the reason why you want him to come over?"_

"No, I can't do that on the phone. I want to tell him in person and I still need to figure some things out."

" _You better hurry up. That poor guy is suffering torments right now and you sound like you are too."_

"I am." Gabby's voice was emotional. "Can you get him to come here?"

" _No, Gabby. I won't get involved. That's your job or maybe ask Severide but he wouldn't take it well if I was involved."_

"Why not?"

" _Because you are his wife and Severide is his best friend but he's my boss. You don't tell your boss what to do."_

"Oh right, haven't thought of that. Guess I need to make that call."

" _Yes and do it now. I'll go back into the common room, where he's watching the football game with the guys. If you don't call him, I'll tell Severide and ask for his help."_

"Thank you, Mouchie."

"You're very welcome. And please call him. We both don't want Severide to kick his ass. Last time that didn't play out very well."

Gabby ended the call and dialed again. She knew the number by heart. After what felt like an eternity he picked up. _"Gabby? How are you?"_

"Better, thanks." She took a deep breath. "I wasn't kidding when I said there's something I need to tell you."

" _I know. Why can't you just tell me on the phone?"_

"It's something you don't talk about on the phone. It's something you need to talk about in person."

" _Okay, now I'm even more worried. Why don't you just come back to Chicago and we talk?"_

"Matt, I can't. There are more things I need to figure out."

" _Alright Gabby, you don't want to come back, you don't want to tell me on the phone, what do you want from me?! And don't tell me you just want to see me. We both know that's not true."_ He sounded pissed and after what had happened this morning, she couldn't blame him. This was too important. This was one of those chances Mouch had talked to her about.

"Matt, I never said I don't want to come back. I said I can't come back yet. But I guess if you won't come unless I tell you what's wrong, I'll tell you on the phone."

" _Thank you, Gabby. It means a lot. I promise I'll come, if you tell me what's wrong. But you have to understand that I need to know first."_

"I do. I left you in the most terrible way last time. I owe you this." Gabby's heart was beating very fast. She was afraid how he would react, afraid because she couldn't see his face.

"Matt, can we change to facetime?"

" _Of course."_

Gabby pressed the camera button and Matt's face appeared on her screen. Mouch was right, he looked miserable.

" _Hey, good to see you. You look tired, are you sure, you're okay?"_ Oh how she had missed seeing his face. Gabby finally had the courage to tell him.

"I am." She smiled. "I know what I'm going to tell you will be shocking and I want you to know that we don't need to leap to any conclusions."

" _Okay"_ Matt looked confused.

"I went to the doctor last week and well…" She had a hard time speaking it out loud. "I… I am…" She stopped.

" _You are?"_ Matt tried to help.

"Pregnant" Bam. Her words hit him like a punch in the gut. She saw his expression changing from worried to happy and back to very worried. And that was when it hit her. She had forgot to tell him about the non-existent aneurysm.

" _Oh Gabby, I'm so sorry…"_ He started to apologize but Gabby cut him short.

"Oh Matt, don't be. I am sorry. I forgot to tell you something very important: I went to a doctor because I was worried sick after I took the test. I really didn't want to die alone in Puerto Rico leaving a baby behind. So I had an MRI and it turned out the doctor in Chicago was wrong. There's no aneurysm. It's just scar tissue."

Matt looked like he got hit on the head. "Matt? Are you okay? Do you understand what I just said?"

" _Yes, yes…I…wow."_ He looked at his wife and Gabby saw tears in his eyes. " _Is the doctor sure?"_

"Yep. 100 percent. " Gabby felt a single tear rolling down her cheek. "Are you happy?"

Matt didn't say anything. He just nodded. "I don't know where this leaves us, but I want you to know that I really want to come back to Chicago as soon as I got everything figured out here, because I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I'm so sorry I ran away. We fought over nothing. I feel so stupid."

" _Gabby, I'm sorry too. I'm sorry you had to go through this alone and I'm sorry I didn't take the next plane, because I really want to take you in my arms and kiss you right now."_

"Yeah, this sucks." Gabby managed to smile. "I could say I told you so, but I'm not going to do it. Because I miss you like crazy and I want you to come here as soon as possible. I need my husband and baby daddy."

" _I miss you too and I'll talk to the Chief right after this and take the next plane to San Juan. I love you. Both of you."_ He blew a kiss and Gabby kissed her screen. "But don't tell anyone about the baby, except the Chief and Kelly."

" _I won't."_ He promised. _"I can't wait to have you in my arms again. I love you. See you soon!"_

"I love you too. Bye" Gabby ended the call. She felt relieved. Matt still loved her and he would be here in a few hours. She finished her pizza and got the ice cream out of the fridge. She was really craving something sweet right now. When she sat down on the couch again she saw a message from Matt. _"Talked to the chief and booked a flight. Plain leaves in 4 hours, so I'll see you in about 8 hours and 30 minutes. Can't wait. Love you. XXX"_


	8. Chapter 8

**_My dear readers,_**

 ** _I hope you have a very nice New Year's Eve. Here's a little belated Christmas gift for you. This one took me some time, because I decided to rewrite it, after I finished it for the first time. I hope you'll like it._**

 **Enjoy reading,**

 **Miss Eliza**

* * *

 _Matt_

He put the phone back in his pocket and walked right into the Chief's Office. "Chief? I need to talk to you."

"Sure, Casey. Come in and have a seat." Chief Boden gestured towards a chair in front of his desk. "What can I do for you?"

"I need furlough like right now." Matt said. "I want to go to San Juan and get my wife back."

Boden smiled. "Captain Casey, congratulations. I was wondering how long it would take you to finally come to your senses. Furlough is granted for a week and I'll call headquarters to get a relief lieutenant for Truck 81."

"Thanks Chief, I really appreciate it."

"Good. Now get out of here and get Dawson back. Tell her, we all miss her." Boden was visibly happy. "Oh, and ask Severide to drive you to the airport. Capp can take over for him."

"I will." Matt walked out of the office and right into the common room. "Severide? We have an errand to run. Capp, you're the lieutenant of Squad 3 until Severide is back." With that he left the common room, followed by a confused looking Kelly Severide. "Casey, what the hell is going on with you?"

Matt turned around, beaming like a child on Christmas Day. "Gabby called earlier. I booked a flight to San Juan. I think there might be a chance she'll come back."

"Oh wow. That's…I don't know what to say…that's great. I'm happy for you, man." Kelly reached for his keys but his pockets were empty. "Wait, I forgot my keys."

"Don't worry. We'll take my truck. You can park it at my place and Squad 3 can take a ride and pick you up." Matt opened his truck and they got in.

"You got it all figured out, huh?" Kelly grinned. "What happened?"

"Well" Matt started the engine. "The calls without a caller ID? That was her. Last time she left her number and a message. So, I called her back, we talked and she said she wanted to see me."

"And?" Kelly pressed him.

"I booked a ticket for the next flight to San Juan."

"That sounds like the both of you finally came to your senses." Kelly noticed the direction they were going. "Wait, where are we going? The airport is the other way."

"I know, but my place isn't if you don't mind, I'll pack some clothes. I'll stay there for a week and I really don't want to wear the same pair of boxers all the time." Matt joked.

"Ewww" Kelly covered his ears. "Too much information, bro."

"You asked for it." Matt stopped the car in front of his apartment and returned ten minutes later with a bag in his hands. "Ready to go. I texted Gabby my ETA. She'll pick me up."

"Great. Let's get you into that airplane."

When they arrived at the airport, Kelly got behind the wheel. "See you in a week. Tell Dawson to move her ass back to Chicago."

"I will." Matt ran into the terminal, since he was a little bit late thanks to the usual traffic on the highway. After he got checked in, he didn't have time to sit down at the gate. Boarding had already begun. A friendly flight attendant showed him his seat and he made himself comfortable. Matt started to feel a little bit nervous. He didn't really have the time to think about everything since now. It finally hit him: His wife was pregnant. He would become a father. Part of him was over the moon but the other part of him was freaking out. Would Gabby really want to come back to him?

* * *

 _Gabby_

She tried to dry her sweaty palms by rubbing them against her jeans. But it didn't really help. Her heart was pounding against her chest. One more time she looked at the big destination board. Flight JBU 562 had landed 10 Minutes ago. Nervously Gabby checked her phone. There was a text from Matt: _Waiting for my baggage. See you very soon. Love you._ She took a deep breath and her pulse almost got back to normal. Why was she even afraid? In a few minutes the doors of the arrival's terminal would open and the love of her life would come out. Well, that was part of the reason why she was nervous. There was a lot of stuff they needed to talk about. Gabby started to feel a little bit dizzy and sat down on one of the chairs next to her. She was going through a lot lately and the pregnancy made her feel everything twice as intense as before plus she never had been good at waiting. She checked her phone again. Nothing.

"Oh, come on, don't freak out. He will be here soon." A voice came from behind her and Gabby turned around. "Carol! What are you doing here?"

Carol Hathaway sat down next to her and laughed. "Thought you might need some moral support while waiting for your hubby."

"Thank you" Gabby hugged her. "I really appreciate it. I feel like I'm going to vomit."

"Morning sickness?"

Gabby nodded. "Yep. And being nervous doesn't make it better."

"Well, then you better try to calm down, because I don't want puke on my new shoes." Carol joked. "Seriously Gabby, that guy boarded a plane right away after you told him about the baby. What are you afraid of?"

"I don't know." Gabby looked at her feet. "The future?"

"Understandable" Carol took her hand. "I've been where you are now. But the difference is I made a big mistake by not telling Doug until the babies were born. You did the right thing. You told your husband. Everything will be fine. Trust me. Before you know it, you'll be back in Chicago buying furniture for the nursery."

"Carol?" Gabby took a deep breath. "I'm not sure about going back to Chicago."

"Why not?"

"I really really love planning and building the hospital with Carter."

"Gabby, if that's the only reason, it's not going to be a problem. I'm sure you can continue doing that while you're in Chicago. That's what FaceTime is for."

"It's not the same" Gabby complained. "I know I sound selfish, but I never pictured myself as a housewife and mother."

"Gabriela Dawson, you will be a mother but you don't have to be a housewife. Talk to Carter, maybe you can work for his foundation in Chicago or for the CFD. You have a lot of possibilities that are far from being just a housewife. And now quit the whining. I think that handsome blonde guy over there is looking for you. The one with the CFD cap?"

* * *

 _Together_

Hearing Carol's words Gabby looked up and saw Matt walking through the doors. She shot up and ran towards him calling his name. When he saw her a big smile appeared on his face. He let his bag fall to the ground and opened his arms. Gabby jumped into them and buried her face in his neck. "Oh Matt, I missed you so much." Tears were rolling down her face. "I'm so sorry…" She started to apologize again but Matt stopped her with a kiss. They only parted because they were out of breath. "Don't apologize, Baby." Gently he touched her cheek. "We're together now. That's all that matters and I'm not mad at you anymore. Not at all."

"I don't deserve you." Gabby sobbed and Matt took her face in his hands. "Baby, look at me. You deserve everything and more. I was an idiot for letting you go the first time. I'll never let you go again. I promise." He kissed her again. Gabby pulled back a little bit and smiled at him. "Let's get out of here." She wanted to take his bag but Matt stopped her. "No way you're carrying that." He touched her belly. "You're already carrying very precious cargo."

Gabby leaned against him. "I'm so glad you're here."

"Me too." They wanted to leave the terminal when Carol cleared her throat behind them. "Gabby, it's this what I get for supporting you all the time? Won't you at least introduce us?" She winked at her.

"Oh Carol, I'm so sorry. I totally forgot. This is my husband Matt Casey. Matt, this is Carol Hathaway. She's a nurse at our station and a great friend."

Carol took Matt's hand. "It's very nice to finally meet you, Matt."

"Likewise," Matt shook her hand. "So, you helped Gabby getting through everything?"

"Oh, I wouldn't say that." Carol blushed. "I was just there for her when she needed a friend and right now she doesn't, because she finally has her husband back. I'll go back to the station now and leave you two alone. I'm sure you have a lot to talk about. See you Monday at work, Gabby."

"Bye Carol." Gabby took Matt's hand. "Let's get out of here." Together they walked out of the terminal. "My car is over there." Gabby pointed towards the car park and closed her eyes for one second. "But I think I forgot where exactly I parked it."

"Oh boy." Matt shook his head. "In that case we better hurry up, we have ten park levels to search for your car." They entered the car park through a side door. "Can you at least tell me the color or type of your car?" He joked.

Gabby grinned. "It's a black Chevy Impala."

"Okay, give me the keys" Matt stretched out his hand and Gabby put the keys in it. He pressed the unlock button and about 100 ft away from them a sedan flashed its headlights. "Let's take that one, okay?" Matt couldn't help but laugh. "Looks like pregnancy dementia hit you."

Gabby snuggled into his side while they made their way towards the car. "I'm so lucky to have you." She joked. "I would have never found my car without my knight in shining armor."

"Always at your service, milady." Matt opened the trunk and put his bag into it.

"Would you mind driving?" Gabby asked him. "I feel a little bit off today."

"No, not at all." Matt opened the driver's door and adjusted the seat while Gabby climbed in on the passenger side. "But you have to show me the way."

"I will." Gabby yawned. "It's only a 20-minute drive."

Matt started the engine and pulled out of the parking lot. 20 Minutes later they arrived at Gabby's apartment.

Matt got his bag out of the trunk and Gabby searched her purse for her key. When she found it, she opened the front door and they walked in.

"It's a nice place you have here." Matt looked around.

"Thank you." Gabby walked into the kitchen and reached for the kettle. "You can put your bag in the bedroom over there." She pointed to the door. "Do you want some coffee or tea?"

"Coffee, please" Matt called from the bedroom and Gabby could hear the door of the adjoining bathroom closing. She got two cups out of her cabinet and put a tea bag in one and some instant coffee in the other one. She still wasn't feeling very well, a little bit dizzy and nauseous but she knew it wasn't just the pregnancy that caused it. It was this whole situation that made her feel insecure. She still didn't know where this whole situation would lead them. Gabby covered her face with her hands and tried to calm down but it didn't work. She took a deep breath and reached for the kettle to pour the hot water into the cups. While she did so, her eyes started to fill with tears. With shaking hands, she put the kettle down on the stove and a tear made its way down her cheek. Soon followed by another one. Before she knew it, she was standing in her kitchen sobbing. Once again, she covered her face with her hands. She didn't hear the bathroom door open or the steps behind her.

When Matt came back into the living room he saw Gabby standing in the kitchen. She was crying and the sight of it broke his heart, because he knew how much pain the whole situation had caused her. How much she had tried to stay strong, for the baby and for him. He didn't hesitate when he walked towards her and carefully hugged her from behind. "It's okay, Baby. I'm here now. You are not alone anymore." He comforted her. As Gabby felt his body close to hear and heard his voice, she finally felt safe. She turned around in his arms and looked at him with puffy eyes. "Promise me." She buried her face in his chest. "Promise me we'll work this out. Promise me you'll never leave me alone and I'll promise you I'll never run away from you again." Matt kissed her forehead. "I promise. I'll never let you out of my life again. Never ever. I love you so much."

"I love you too." Gabby sighed. Love had never been the problem between them. "But we really need to talk."

"Yeah, guess we were never really good at talking about things." Matt admitted.

"True." Gabby looked at him. "But I love you and you're my best friend. I think we can find a way to overcome our communication issues. We have to." She put a hand on her still flat belly.

"We will." Matt held her tight. "I promise you, we will."

Gabby pulled back from his embrace and took the two cups in her hands. "Let's sit down on the couch and talk."

He nodded and together they made themselves comfortable on Gabby's couch. She took a sip of her tea and looked at her husband. "Where do we start?"

Matt took her hand. "Tell me everything." And she did. From the first time on her new job to the awkward date with Hunter and the horror she went through when she found out she was pregnant.

"Gabby, Baby," His voice was very emotional. "Why didn't you call me right away?"

"Because I was afraid you would be mad at me, because I left you." Gabby sobbed. "And you were mad at me."

"I was." Matt agreed. "But not because you left, it was more because of the way you left. Sneaking out like a thief."

"I did it because I wouldn't have had the strength to go otherwise and I felt like we were trapped in a dead end. I needed space." She looked at her feet. "I feel ashamed now. I mean, I didn't even ask another doctor for a second opinion. I just jumped to conclusions without talking with you."

"Well, I was wrong too. I shouldn't have gone to the adoption agency without you and I really shouldn't have let you go the first time. I was an idiot for not talking to you about how I felt. And I regretted it deeply ever since you left."

"Me too." Gabby leaned against him. "I missed you so much. I went to bed crying and I woke up crying almost every day. Then I had this ridiculous idea about moving on." She laughed and shook her head. "As if I could ever move on from the love of my life. Well, your baby made sure I didn't do something stupid. Every time Hunter came close, I felt the urge to vomit."

"Good baby" Matt smiled and caressed her belly. "But Cruz arranged a blind date for me too. It was horrible. Severide kind of talked me into it. But it felt wrong the whole time and, in the end, I literally ran away from that women."

Gabby giggled. "You should have known better than taking relationship advice from Severide."

"I know." He kissed her cheek. "I'm so glad you called me. Otherwise I would have gone completely crazy."

"Me too. Ask Carol. I was a crying mess most of the time since I found out I was pregnant. I was so afraid." She snuggled into his side and he could feel her shaking. "Carol called Carter and he found out about the non-existing aneurysm. I felt relieved at first but then it hit me. We had fought over nothing and I thought I had lost you. Carol told me to call you, but it took me a few days to do that and when I did, I was afraid you would hate me."

"Gabby, I said it once and I'll say it again: I could never hate you. I love you and I understand that it was hard for you to call me but I would have been there for you all the time."

"I know and I love you too." She kissed him. "After I took the pregnancy test I would have done everything to be in your arms. But I was too stubborn to call you."

"It's okay, baby." Matt stroked her back. "I'm here now."

"But only for a few days." Gabby looked at him. "I don't want to stay here alone. I want to come back to Chicago as soon as I can. But I need to ask Chief Hatcher, if I still have a job in Chicago and I want to ask Carter, if I can continue my work for the foundation."

"Sounds like a plan. How long do you think it'll take?"

"A few days, I guess. Chief Hatcher knows about the pregnancy, but he knew better than to ask questions." Gabby grinned.

"I asked the Chief for some days off and he granted it. I can stay for a week and help you get everything done."

"That would be nice. Did you tell Chief Boden about the baby?"

Matt shook his head. "No. Told him I needed to come here to get you back and he said it was about time."

"Chief is a wise man." Gabby leaned her head against his shoulder. "Did you tell Kelly?"

"No, nobody knows. I asked Kelly to drive me to the airport and told him the same thing I told Boden."

Gabby raised her head a little bit and kissed him. "Thank you."

"You're very welcome. But now tell me everything about this little peanut." Matt placed a hand on her belly.

"Well, I'm 6 weeks along and everything looks fine. Peanut is in the right place and his heart beats steady." She got up and reached for the ultrasound picture in the drawer of her coffee table. "Have a look yourself, Daddy."

Matt looked at the picture and his eyes got a little watery. "This is amazing."

"Yeah, I know and today is the first day I'm really and entirely happy about this pregnancy. Because you're here."

He kissed her. "And like I told you before, I will never let you out of my life again. Never. Because I love you. Both of you."

"I called my OBGYN in Chicago and made an appointment for my 12 weeks checkup. I think it's a day you're not on shift, if I didn't mix things up."

"I'll be there. No matter what."

"I can't wait to come back to Chicago. This morning I was afraid of going back and becoming a housewife."

"Gabriela Dawson, you'll never become a housewife. I wouldn't let you. You've so much talent and you're a badass firefighter and paramedic."

Gabby laughed. "Glad to hear that. But I have a request."

"I'm all ears"

"I don't want to be Gabriela Dawson anymore. I know its old fashioned but I want our baby to have your last name and I want to be Gabriela Casey. Are you okay with that?"

"Oh baby" He kissed her passionately. "Of course, I'm okay with that. I love it but I would have never asked you to do it."

"I know. That's why I brought it up."


	9. Chapter 9

**Here's an all new chapter. I'm very sorry for the delay. Life got in the way and it was hard for me to write happy Dawsey after what happened on the show lately. But I finally found inspiration again.**

 **Enjoy reading and leave a review :)**

 **Miss Eliza**

* * *

Beep, beep, beep - Gabby's alarm clock went off on the night stand. Without opening her eyes, she reached for it to hit the snooze button. Five more minutes of sleep was all she needed right now. But before her fingers touched the button a strong hand grabbed her arm. "Don't even think about it." Matt mumbled, still half asleep too. "If we fall asleep again, we'll never get out of bed." "I don't have a problem with that." Gabby snuggled up against his side. "It's warm and cozy and you're more comfortable than my pillow."

Matt laughed. "Glad to hear that. But I'm afraid we have to get up because you have to work and we spent the whole weekend in this bed."

Gabby smiled at the memory of the last two days. They had spent the weekend talking, cuddling and satisfying her crazy hormones. "Are you complaining about that?"

"Hell no. I would never complain about my smoking hot wife seducing me." Matt kissed her and Gabby started to laugh. "What's so funny?"

"Oh nothing. I just thought it's a good thing you came because otherwise I would have gone completely insane. My pregnancy hormones make me horny all the time and it wouldn't be the same jumping someone else's bones." She joked. They had talked a lot over the weekend and finally could make jokes again like before. "No one else knows how to turn me on like you do." She whispered seductively in his ear. "And no one else can make me come that hard."

"Oh, is that so?" Matt whispered back.

"Yes" Gabby's breath was hot against his ear. She took his hand and guided it into her panties. "Can you feel it?" He could. She was already soaking wet. Feeling her hot skin against his fingers caused him to stiffen. Matt looked her in the eyes and nodded. His fingers gently stroked her clit and Gabby closed her eyes and moaned. "God this feels so good." She pressed herself against his hand but Matt had another idea. He took his hand out of her panties and turned her around so that she was on her back. Slowly he pulled her panties down and replaced his fingers with his tongue. Gabby's hands grabbed the sheets and she threw her head back. This felt like heaven. Matt had always been very good with his tongue. "Baby you taste so good." He mumbled against her and it drove her crazy. He didn't even have to use his fingers. Just the touch of his very talented tongue made her come. She hadn't realized that she was screaming his name until she heard the echo of her voice in the room. "Oops" She grinned. "I guess it's a good thing I'll move out soon."

"Yeah because I can't wait to have you back in our apartment and in our bed." Matt kissed her and she could feel him hard against her thigh. "I think you have a problem there. A big problem." She winked and looked down. "Can I help you take care of it?"

"I hope so" He kissed her boobs and took one nipple in his mouth. "What were you thinking of?"

Gabby had a hard time concentrating on his question while he sucked her nipples. "Oh, I think I have an idea." She turned them around and straddled him. Gently she guided him to her entrance. It didn't take her long to adjust to him and she started rocking her hips against him. They soon found a rhythm. When she felt she was close again, Gabby increased her speed wanting to take him with her over the edge. Feeling her muscles squeezing him, Matt knew he was very close and seconds later they came together. Afterwards they fell back in the sheets. Breathless but happy. "That was amazing." Gabby smiled. "But now we really have to get up or I'll be late for work."

"I'd say it would be worth the delay" Matt chuckled.

"True. But I need Chief Hatcher to be in a good mood." She swung her legs out of the bed and walked into the bathroom where she took a quick shower. Matt followed her and fifteen minutes later they had a small breakfast. "Do you have plans today?" Gabby asked Matt while packing her bag for work.

"No, not really. Maybe I'll go for a walk."

"You could come with me and have a look at our plans for the hospital and I'd like to introduce you to John Carter."

"Sounds good." Matt grabbed the car keys from the coffee table. "I'm not good at sitting around."

"Tell me about it" Gabby laughed. "Come on, let's go." They drove to the station where Gabby parked the car in her usual spot. When they got out she reached for Matt's hand and they walked into the building.

"Look who's there" Carol looked up from her newspaper. She was sitting in the common room. "Did you two have a nice weekend?"

"Yeah, we had a lot of talking to do" Gabby hugged her friend. "But thanks to you I finally came to my senses."

"Always glad to help" Carol winked at her. "Carter will be here in ten minutes to talk about the adjusted plans for the hospital and possible building companies. He just called and since you weren't here I answered the phone in your office when I saw it was him."

"That's fine. Thank you. I'll go and have a look at the plans before he arrives." Gabby looked at Matt. "Let's go. I'll show you my office. It's not as fancy as Boden's but still nice." Together they walked into the bullpen, still holding hands. When they approached Hunter's desk, the architect looked up. "Hey Dawson, how was your …" He paused when he saw Matt. "My weekend?" Gabby hurried to say. "It was very nice. Oh, and this is my husband Matt Casey. Matt, this is Mike Hunter. He's our architect and responsible for building new family homes."

Matt shook his hand. "Nice to meet you" He had the feeling that the other guy didn't really liked him being here but he didn't care.

"Yeah nice to meet you too." Hunter looked at him and he had to admit that he couldn't stand the pace with the athletic handsome man in front of him. "Let me guess, firefighter?"

"Yep" Matt nodded. "But my side job is contractor. I saw your plans for the family homes and thought they were really great."

"Thanks. That explains why Dawson knows so much about constructing." Hunter had to admit that Matt Casey seemed to be a very nice guy.

"Oh, does she?" Matt was surprised. "I always thought she wasn't really listening when I talked about it."

"Hey!" Gabby slapped him against his arm. "I know my way around a toolbox."

Matt laughed. "Mike, I think we have to change the subject or I'll be in the doghouse."

"Who's in the doghouse?" John Carter entered the bullpen. "I hope it's not me." He approached the group.

"No, it's not you." Gabby smiled at the nice doctor. "John Carter, this is my husband Matt Casey. Matt, this is John Carter."

"Nice to finally meet you" Carter shook Matt's hand. "I'm glad you're here."

"Yeah me too" Matt put an arm around Gabby's waist and Hunter knew he had lost this game.

"I have to go." He grabbed his keys from his desk. "The guys at the building site have a problem. See you around."

Gabby gestured to her office. "Let's go in there so we can talk."

She opened the door and let them in. "It's not much but I like it."

"It's great" Matt smiled. "I'm very proud of you."

"Yeah she's amazing" Carter agreed. "She gave everyone who was standing in her way holy hell. Without her we probably wouldn't have all the permissions we need yet."

"That's my girl." Matt was visibly proud. "And thank you for everything you did for Gabby and our baby."

"You're very welcome" Carter thought that Matt seemed like a very decent fine guy. "Carol and I did everything we could to make it easier for her. Gabby, have you thought about what you want to do after returning to Chicago?"

"I don't know" Gabby knew this was a difficult question because she really liked her job here. "I love this job and I don't want to quit but I also want to go back to Chicago to be with Matt."

"I think you and I should finish building this hospital together." Carter opened his briefcase and took out a thin folder. "I could stay here for a little while and make sure everything is done correctly. But that would mean I need someone in Chicago to help with the Joshua Carter Center, it's a clinic for people who don't have health insurance. Have you heard of it?"

"Of course." Gabby nodded. "I used to tell my patients about it when I noticed they didn't have insurance."

"Well, what would you say taking care of things there while I stay here? We could have weekly video conferences and I'd send you pictures of the progress on the building site."

"I don't know." Gabby didn't know what to say. "I'm just a paramedic not a doctor. I think I can't do that."

Matt, who had been silent the whole time, coughed slightly. "Just a paramedic? You're a firefighter too and you can do anything you want because you're strong headed and single minded."

"I agree" Carter laughed. "There's no stopping Gabby Dawson when she wants something. And don't worry, you don't need to go to med school to do the job. My wife has a lot of experience with running a clinic and we have enough doctors to take care of the patients. You would work for the Carter Foundation and make sure that we invest our money in helpful and useful projects to make life better for the people of Chicago."

"That sounds like a job I want to do" Gabby got excited. "But I need to talk to Chief Hatcher first." She looked at her husband. "And part of me don't wants to quit with the CFD"

Matt nodded. "I can understand that. Just take some time to think about it?"

"Oh, I forgot to say it's not a fulltime job." Carter opened the folder he had taken out of his briefcase earlier. "More like a side job."

"Well that makes the decision easier" Gabby laughed. "But I still need some time to think about it. Can I give you my answer in a few days?"

"Of course. Take all the time you need." Carter got the plans for the hospital out if his briefcase. "Now let's talk about the hospital. Matt, I'm glad you're here because I need an expert's opinion of our safety concept."

"Always glad to help"

The three of them spend the next hour talking about the hospital and building companies.

"You need to add fire escape ladders on the other side of the building." Matt put his finger on the point he was talking about. "And make sure that the emergency elevators are big enough for the beds. It's much easier to evacuate when you can use an elevator for the patients who can't walk."

"Will do that." Carter took some notes. "But I think this is enough for today. I have an appointment with the architect in half an hour. Thank you for your help, Matt. Construction companies don't spend many thoughts on safety or evacuation."

Matt sighed. "Tell me about it. I've seen some terrible things over the years."

Carter grabbed his briefcase. "I'll let you two alone know. Do you have plans for the evening?"

"No, not really" Gabby sat down on her chair. "We could have dinner together with Carol?"

"Great Idea. I'll ask her on my way out and text you later."

With that he left the office and Gabby closed her eyes.

"Everything okay?" Matt sounded concerned. "Are you tired?"

"Yeah but not because of a lack of sleep but because of all this information. I think it would be great to work for the Carter foundation. But I already have a side job. Or at least I think so. I mean I still own part of Molly's bar."

"You could become a silent partner. Stella could do your job at the bar. I mean she already does that." Matt placed his hands on her shoulders and started massaging her.

"Um…"Gabby enjoyed the gentle touch of his fingers. "yeah that could work. What do you think?"

"I think you should take the offer. You were born for this job."

"I think I'll do it. But I need to talk to Chief Hatcher first." Gabby opened her eyes. "Talking about the devil…"

Chief Hatcher had just opened the door to the bullpen and made his way to her office.

"Dawson" He greeted her and looked at Matt. "Casey! Nice to see you. I would ask what you're doing here but I think I already know."

"I came to see my wife. But I'll let you two talk now." He kissed Gabby. "See you later. I'll be in the common room talking to Carol and the guys."

"Well Dawson" Chief Hatcher started to talk after Matt left. "let me guess, you want to go back to Chicago, work as a paramedic and make my life miserable again?"

"Sounds about right" Gabby said. "Do I still have a job there?"

"I got a call from Wallace Boden about an hour ago. He wants you back. Apparently the

knew paramedic got herself fired. So, I'd say you still have a job if you want it."

"I want it" Gabby couldn't help but smile. "I can start next week."

"Dawson, don't get too excited. Aren't you pregnant?" He wondered.

"Yes, I am but I think I can work on ambo for some time."

"You can but you should talk to Boden about that and tell him you'll have to leave in a few months."

"I will."

"Fine" Hatcher opened the door. "Thank you, Dawson, for everything you did here. You're a great paramedic and a great team leader. Boden is lucky to get you back and so is your husband. Oh, and you're fired." He winked and left. Gabby got up from her chair and walked into the common room where Matt was sitting on the table talking with some other firefighters.

"Hey babe" He reached for her and she sat down on his lap. She didn't care if it was appropriate since she was leaving this job in a few days. "What did he say?"

"Boden wants me back at 51" She leaned against him. "But there's a lot to talk about."

"That's great" Matt was happy. "And we'll figure everything out."

Carol, who was sitting on the other end of the table, laughed. "See Gabby? I fucking told you so. Pardon my French."

Gabby rolled her eyes. "Yeah you were right and I was wrong."

One of the firefighters nearly chocked on his coffee. "What did she just say? Did she say she was wrong?!" He looked at Gabby. "Dawson, is that really you?"

Gabby grinned. "Yeah it's happy me. But I have bad news for you. I'll leave at the end of the week and go back to Chicago."

"Yeah we figured that out when we saw your husband walking into this place. You had a very goofy grin on your face." He joked.

"Carter told me about your dinner plans tonight." Carol said. "I'm in"

"Glad to hear that" Gabby got up. "I'm free to go since I don't work here anymore. Chief Hatcher fired me and I think he enjoyed it."

Matt laughed. "I kind of understand where he's coming from. You and Brett made his life pretty miserable sometimes."

"True but we will continue doing that in Chicago. Now let's get out of here. I'll come back tomorrow to get my personal things. See you later Carol."

Matt and Gabby walked out of the station. "How are you feeling now?" Matt knew it had been one hell of a day for her.

"Pretty exhausted but happy." She placed one hand on her still flat stomach. "I can't wait to go back to Chicago and I can't wait for this little peanut to arrive."

"Me either" Matt gave her a kiss. "Let's go home"

They drove back to Gabby's apartment. She sat down on the couch and hugged a pillow while Matt was in the kitchen making tea. "Come back here" Gabby pouted. "I'm sick and tired of hugging this pillow instead of you."

Matt laughed and placed two cups of tea on the coffee table. He sat down next to her and took her in his arms. "Better?"

Gabby nodded against his chest. "Much better."

Suddenly Matt reached behind him and pulled a shirt out of the cushions. "What is this?" He took a closer look "You took my Rush shirt with you! I was looking for it."

"Sorry" Gabby took the shirt from him. "I used to cuddle with it in the evening."

"Oh, I hope your pillow weren't jealous." He joked.

"I put it over the pillow. So, it smelled like you" Gabby looked down. "You know I had a really hard time too."

"I know" Matt kissed her. "But I'm here now and we'll figure everything out. I'll never let you out of my life again. I love you so much."

"I love you too." Gabby looked at him. "I'm so happy you came. That shirt started smelling like me."

He laughed. "That's not a bad thing. You smell very good."

"That's right." She leaned in for a long passionate kiss. "I think we should take a little nap." She whispered into his ear. "After working out." She didn't need to say more. Matt took her in his arms and carried her into the bedroom.


End file.
